Rourkela: The rapid increase in dengue cases has become a constant source of worry for the local administration in this city. Dengue has turned into a massive headache for the Sundargarh district administration. Till Monday evening, 457 persons diagnosed with dengue have been admitted to the Rourkela Government Hospital (RGH) here. Doctors pointed out that the number of affected patients is quite high. “If the official figure is 457, just imagine what could be the unofficial numbers. The situation is indeed alarming,” said a doctor Tuesday. Fear of the disease has led to a surge in testing in public and private hospitals and labs. Even those suffering from mild fever with cough and cold are opting to go for dengue tests to be on the safe side.
The owner of a pathological lab said, “If RGH’s official figure is 457, then the number of dengue-affected people in the district could well be well over 600. One must remember that many cases go undetected as those hit by the disease may not opt for tests due to various reasons.” RGH director Dr Ganesh Das stated that the challenge for them is to control the spread of dengue. “We are fully prepared to tackle any situation. We have enough kits for testing and medicines for the patients. We have dedicated one ward for dengue patients,” Das said. Nodal officer for dengue in this city, Dr Shakti Padhi informed that most of the cases have been reported from areas under RSP jurisdiction.
Sectors I, IV, VI, and XIV have emerged as hotspots for dengue. From these localities, the disease has spread to areas under Rourkela Municipal Corporation (RMC) including Koel Nagar,” Padhi said. He added that abandoned buildings with stagnant water have turned into breeding havens for mosquitoes. “These should be demolished immediately,” Padhi opined. Padhi informed that efforts are on to contain the spread of the disease. “We are sanitising entire localities from where cases are being reported,” he stated.