A 65-year-old man has become the first victim of dengue in Uttarakhand this year after he succumbed to the mosquito-borne infection, an official said on Saturday.
The man, Devdutt Mishra, a resident of Rishikul in Haridwar, died of dengue on Friday at a private hospital, said district malaria officer Gurnaam Singh.
“Sixty-five-year-old Devdutt Mishra succumbed to the deadly virus at a private hospital. It is the first confirmed dengue death in state this season,” Singh told Hindustan Times.
“Dengue spread can only be controlled trough sensitization. We are trying extremely hard to make people aware of the mosquito-borne infection, but still the cases are increasing,” he said.
Since August this year, 154 dengue positive cases have been reported from Haridwar, out of which 6 patients were from Uttar Pradesh. Dehradun reported 301 dengue cases of which 133 were from neighbouring Uttar Pradesh.
The state total number of dengue positive cases was more than 500, health department officials said.
Haridwar had been on high alert against the mosquito-borne infection after the district recorded 468 cases and 67 deaths following the 2013 flashfloods, some of them said.
“More than 45% of dengue cases reported in our district are from adjoining areas of UP. So practically, we reported only 168 cases of out of the 301. We are doing lot of sensitization to check the spread of dengue,” said Dr SP Agarwal, chief medical officer of Dehradun district.
{{/usCountry}}“More than 45% of dengue cases reported in our district are from adjoining areas of UP. So practically, we reported only 168 cases of out of the 301. We are doing lot of sensitization to check the spread of dengue,” said Dr SP Agarwal, chief medical officer of Dehradun district.
{{/usCountry}}In 2014, the district reported more than 50 dengue cases and in 2013, 180 people had tested positive with the deadly virus.
Principal secretary health Om Prakash during a meeting last week had directed officials to ensure that fogging was carried out both inside and outside houses.
District magistrates of both districts too have asked various departments-irrigation, public works department, urban local bodies and others-- to join hands for sensitization of dengue.
To protect children from dengue, Dehradun district magistrate has issued directions to schools across the district to ensure that students attended school wearing clothes which fully covered them.