Mangaluru, Jul 7: The rise in the number of dengue cases in the coastal city of Manglauru and surrounding areas has caused people to panic.
This year, there seems to be a spike in the number of cases in coastal district of Dakshina Kannada. According to the health officials, the intermittent rain, coupled with sunshine, is said to be the reason for the rising cases of the vector-borne disease.
After the death of Krish N Suvarna, an eight-year-old boy, studying in Class 3 at a private school in Urwa area of the city, the panic is spreading more quickly than the virus. Krish was admitted to a private hospital due to high fever. He died on July 16. Though the people are suspecting that he died of dengue fever, the officials of the district health department have so far denied this.
Meanwhile, deputy commissioner Sasikanth S Senthil has declared a “dengue alert” in the entire Dakshina Kannada district.
The DC has confirmed that till July 17 at least 352 people have tested positive for dengue, when the ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) test for dengue was administered to them. Among them, there are also people from Bengaluru and Kerala, who were treated here. Around 200 people are currently undergoing treatment for dengue. The spurt in dengue cases started in the first week of July, and its spread was noted only two weeks later.
An outbreak of dengue was reported in Kadaba, Sullia, Bantwal and Mangaluru city limits, especially in Gujjarakere and surrounding areas. The severity of the outbreak in Kadaba and Sullia may take two to three weeks to subside. The district witnessed similar outbreaks in 1995 and 2004. He said the highest number of dengue cases were reported in Kadaba and Sullia due to the large number of rubber plantations there, where Aedes mosquitoes breed rampantly. Many patients are undergoing treatment for dengue in private and government hospitals, Senthil added.
Asking people not to panic, he said that elaborate arrangements have been put in place across all areas where dengue cases were reported. The district administration has formed 200 teams, who will go across the district, especially in dengue-stricken areas, to create awareness among the public about the issue, he said.
Senthil said that adopting precautionary measure was the best way to prevent dengue. Dengue is widespread in tropical and sub-tropical regions, he said.
“The mosquitoes, which spread dengue, normally bite during the day,” he said. “Children are quite vulnerable to dengue, hence, residents should not allow water to stagnate, by collecting in broken mud pots, used tyres, plastic waste, coconut shells and other materials lying on the ground. All items in which water collects due to rain should be cleaned regularly,” he added.
He said dengue can be contained by maintaining cleanliness, covering water containers and using mosquito nets, and mosquito repellent creams. “The symptoms of dengue include fever, retro orbital pain, headache, muscle pain, joint pain, rashes and itching. If anybody gets such symptoms, he or she can approach either the nearest primary health centre or government or private hospital,” said Senthil.
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