The district health department on Monday reported that as many as 36 people have tested positive for dengue in the district with 18 cases from Patran sub-division since August 1, 2018.
From the past few years, the royal city has emerged as a new victim of the dengue menace. The district had recorded 2,432 cases in 2017 and was second in the state after Mohali, where 2,472 cases were reported.
Taking cognisance of the vector-borne disease, district epidemiologist Dr Gurmeet Singh held a meeting on Monday with a health team from Patran, who briefed him about the new cases in the last 20 days.
Singh said this year, most of the cases have been reported from rural areas and Patran sub-division has been the worst affected. During the inspection at Patran, no serious case of dengue was found, he said.
Health experts say most of the dengue cases occur due to accumulation of water on roofs, in coolers and on the streets.
An official of the health department requesting anonymity revealed that this year too, most of the cases have been reported from the areas which were most affected last year as well.
{{/usCountry}}An official of the health department requesting anonymity revealed that this year too, most of the cases have been reported from the areas which were most affected last year as well.
{{/usCountry}}The municipal corporation had been filing challans where mosquito larvae are being found. They are imposing a penalty of just ₹500, said the official, adding that so far the department has fined 200 people in the district.
However, to control the menace the health department is conducting door-to-door campaigns to make the people aware about the symptoms and precautions of the disease.
Singh said the special dengue wards have been set up across the state where the patients are being treated free of cost.