Dengue and chikungunya count crosses 100 mark in Ghaziabad

The Ghaziabad district health department has reported more than 100 confirmed cases of chikungunya and dengue. Two Ghaziabad residents died in Delhi hospitals due

The Ghaziabad district health department has reported more than 100 confirmed cases of chikungunya and dengue. Two Ghaziabad residents died in Delhi hospitals due to suspected chikungunya.

The Ghaziabad district health department has reported more than 100 confirmed cases of chikungunya and dengue. (HT Photo/Burhaan Kinu)

According to the district health department, the number of chikungunya cases stood at 139 while the number of dengue cases stood at 112 till Wednesday evening.

Officials said two Ghaziabad residents died of suspected chikungunya at Delhi hospitals.

“Two Ghaziabad residents died at Delhi hospitals due to suspected cases of chikungunya accompanied by other ailments. Our doctors will visit their families soon for more details of the disease. One of the victims was a 65-year-old man from Chander Nagar. The other victim, a 80-year-old man, was from Noor Nagar,” said GK Mishra, district malaria officer.

“A huge relief this season is that the dengue is not hemorrhagic. Still, there are concerns as the peak time for the two diseases is not yet over. We expect a downward trend by September-end. Fogging is being carried out during the day with five trucks, one each in the five residential zones. A truck undertakes fogging in the evening in one zone each,” Mishra said.

In neighbouring Noida, five new confirmed cases of dengue were reported on Wednesday. With this, the total count of the viral disease in Gautam Budh Nagar this season has reached nine.

The five dengue patients are undergoing treatment in various hospitals in Ghaziabad district.

Chief medical officer, Gautam Budh Nagar, Dr Vijay Deepak Verma said these patients are residents of Noida colonies.

“We have informed the Noida authority and asked them to sanitise the houses of the patients and their surroundings,” he said.

As for chikungunya, Dr Verma said one more patient tested positive for the disease on Wednesday, taking the total number of cases to 28 this season so far.

“We have also forwarded nine blood samples of patients suspected to be suffering from chikungunya from city’s private hospitals to the district hospital for confirmation. The test reports will be available on Thursday evening,” he said.