Ghaziabad: Ahead of monsoon onset, health department gears up to tackle dengue menace

According to the health department, 68 dengue cases were reported in 2018, 88 in 2019, 15 in 2020, 1,238 in 2021, and 901 in 2022, but the highest number of cases, at 1,261, was reported last year, which also saw four deaths

The health department in Ghaziabad has geared up to tackle vector-borne diseases, and especially dengue cases, which are usually reported with the onset of monsoon every year, said officials, adding that 1,261 dengue cases were reported in 2023, which is the highest tally in the past six years in Ghaziabad district.

Health department officials said that during the drive in July, they will also carry out comprehensive public awareness meetings besides fogging and anti-larvae activities to control any dengue outbreak. (HT Archive)

According to the health department, 68 dengue cases were reported in 2018, 88 in 2019, 15 in 2020, 1,238 in 2021, and 901 in 2022, but the highest number of cases, at 1,261, was reported last year, which also saw four deaths.

“Starting July 1, we will be carrying out comprehensive drive against vector-borne diseases. In this context, our teams will also be going to households to identify mosquito breeding instances. During the mapping exercise, we have also identified high-risk areas for dengue and other vector-borne diseases,” said Dr Rakesh Gupta, district surveillance officer.

The officials said in 2023, they identified 31 high-risk areas and these include localities such as Shipra Sun City (Indirapuram), Vasundhara, Vijay Nagar (2), Mirzapur, Makanpur, Maharajpur and Kanawani.

“This year, we have identified 20 residential localities in urban areas and four in rural areas as having a high-risk of its residents contracting vector-borne diseases. During the drive in July, we will also carry out comprehensive public awareness drive besides fogging and anti-larvae activities to control any outbreak,” Dr Gupta said.

The list of 20 sensitive areas include Nyay Khand, Shakti Khand and Niti Khand in Indirapuram, sector 2, 4 and 16 in Vasundhara, sector 1, 4 and 5 in Vaishali, Crossings Republik, Raj Nagar Extension, Shastri Nagar and Govindpuram, among others.

The India Meteorological Department in their June 19 forecast predicted heavy rain in Delhi-NCR on June 29-30, said officials.