Dengue mosquito tastes Majha's blood

Dengue fever, which killed a policeman in Batala on Sunday, has also threatened many people in Amritsar in the past few days. This year, the number of confirmed and suspected cases in the city has shot up.

Dengue fever, which killed a policeman in Batala on Sunday, has also threatened many people in Amritsar in the past few days.

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This year, the number of confirmed and suspected cases in the city has shot up. The unsanitary conditions and the civic disregard are accomplices in the crime, as these have allowed the mosquito vector of this murderous haemorrhagic disease to spread its wings.

The Amritsar Civil Hospital has only six beds in the name of an isolation ward, so private hospitals have been asked to share the increased workload since the outbreak. "We are fogging the city regularly to prevent mosquito breeding," said MC health officer Dr Yogesh Arora.

Spraying in the walled city followed a schedule, said the doctor. "The areas outside the walled city are the responsibility of the health department," he said, adding that six teams took care of these operations in each ward.