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Dengue strikes posh localities, spares slums
Mosquitoes in Gurgaon seem to have a grudge against the more affluent, with a majority of cases this year being reported from posh neighbourhoods, reports SK Ahuja.
Mosquitoes in Gurgaon seem to have a grudge against the more affluent, with a majority of cases this year being reported from posh neighbourhoods.
With DLF City, Sushant Lok, Palam Vihar, South City, Aardee City, Golf Link area and other upmarket HUDA sectors accounting for more than 65 per cent of the 208 cases reported so far, district administration and health department officials have shifted their awareness drives to upmarket neighbourhoods.
Charu Singhal (34), who died of dengue fever on August 5, was from South City and another victim, Rachna Gupta (30), was from the posh Sector 15. She died on August 13.
“The two deaths plus the majority of dengue cases were reported from new Gurgaon and posh colonies,” said Gurgaon district magistrate Deepti Umashankar. “This is a new trend. Not a single case of dengue was traced in the congested Jacubpura Colony in old Gurgaon town or in slum areas,” she added.
Concerned by the outbreak, the Business Processing Industries Association of India (BPIAI), the apex BPO/call centre body, is going to issue an advisory to all its members organizations, asking them to make employees aware of dengue-prevention measures. “The matter would be taken up in the upcoming meeting of members,” said Sam Chopra, president of BPIAI.
The Aedis mosquito responsible for spreading dengue breed in clean standing water and urban professionals, because of their hectic schedule, rely on helps to clean their water coolers and flower pots. “Obviously, they were not doing a good job of it,” said a health department official.
Of the 305 suspected dengue patients, 208 have tested positive.
