Bhubaneswar: Showing no signs of decrease, dengue cases in the state capital crossed the 1,000-mark Monday. The city has been reporting 40-50 new dengue cases on a daily basis for the past few days. This daily rise indicates poor monitoring by the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC).
As per sources, the BMC up until September 4 has officially registered 1,196 cases with 57 new dengue cases being reported Monday. The total increase in the number cases represents a 59-time jump in three months with only 20 cases being reported until June.
“The situation has been largely aggravated due to rains in the city. Since stagnant waters during monsoon act as perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes the dengue cases have increased. We are increasing awareness campaigns and destroying larva breeding areas on a regular basis around the affected areas,” informed a senior BMC official.
It can be mentioned here that Odisha which had registered only 496 cases in 2020, reported 3,758 dengue cases in 2019; 5,198 in 2018 and 4,158 cases in 2017.
With 1,196 dengue cases already registered and more expected in the days to follow, the state capital is likely to contribute a lion’s share to the total number of infections in Odisha. While majority of dengue infections have been reported from Sailashree Vihar and Niladri Vihar, a number of people are also suffering from the disease in Dumduma, Damana and Chandrasekharpur localities.
“Like last year, this year too we are receiving dengue patients on a regular basis. On an average, five to 10 patients are coming to the hospital daily. Similarly, patients are being discharged as well. Now we have a total of 34 patients who are undergoing treatment at the hospital for dengue. As part of treatment, transfusion of platelets is being provided. But the availability of platelets depends on the collection of blood,” said Capital Hospital superintendent Dr Dillip Kumar Panda.