Bathinda sees 465 dengue cases in three weeks

Sameer Singh

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, October 1

Bathinda has recorded almost 10-fold increase in dengue cases with 465 persons testing positive in the past three weeks alone.

Besides conducive climatic conditions for dengue larvae breeding, health department officials attributed the sudden spike in cases to residents’ lack of awareness and utter disregard for precautionary measures.

Officials claimed that they have collected and destroyed more than 450 dengue larvae from different locations in the district so far.

As per the district health department’s records, around 50 cases had surfaced in the district till September 10, which rose to 515 in following three weeks.

A dengue awareness seminar was recently held in the city to spread awareness about precautions to be taken to avoid breeding of mosquitoes. The Municipal Corporation has been carrying out fogging at regular intervals in the residential as well as commercial areas.

Civil Surgeon Dr Tejwant Singh Dhillon said: “There has been a sudden spike in dengue cases in the recent weeks. We are putting in all efforts to contain the spread. The number of teams conducting field activities has been increased to 16 now. As the area is experiencing a dry spell after constant rains, we are expecting the number of cases to drop.”

Blaming the locals for not being cautious enough, he said: “It is a joint effort and residents need to understand this. They have to assist the health officials in containing the spread.

TEN-FOLD INCREASE

• The district has recorded almost 10-fold rise in dengue cases in 3 weeks
• Health department officials attributed the sudden spike to residents' lack of awareness and utter disregard for precautionary measures