65 dengue cases reported; health dept says it is within expectation

Indore has registered a total of 65 dengue cases this year, a whopping rise of such cases compared to the previous year when the figure was only five.

Indore has registered a total of 65 dengue cases this year, a whopping rise of such cases compared to the previous year when the figure was only five.

With one case popping up every now and then, the health department states that the count of 65 dengue cases in Indore alone is an expected phenomenon.

"We had expected the cases to rise. It is observed that every third year the number of cases outdoes the cases recorded in the previous session," said Dr Sharad Pandit, joint director, health.

Even as the health department tries to hide its negligence, the fact remains that in the past few months dengue larvae have been found several times.

Though no official statement has been released about the same, sources said the larvae were found at a number of places across the city soon after the patient was tested positive.

However, it can be noted that no cases in the city have been repeated from the same place. “We have the data of the entire city. It has been our observation that not even a single case has been repeated,” said Dr GL Sodi, in-charge of Integrated Disease Surveillance Project.

Dengue mosquito, bred in clear water, is very difficult to monitor, said experts. Prior awareness and alerting people is the only solution to it.

"People store water and forget about it for days together. It is herein that the mosquitoes breed and multiply in numbers. Awareness should be created from grassroots level," said Dr Sodi.

Stating that the situation is under control, Dr Pandit said regular monitoring and sensitisation of health workers has put things on safe mode.

The department has assigned the responsibilities to Aanganwadi and health workers.