Dengue cases in UP touch 1,700-mark

Lucknow, Oct 30 (IANS) The fresh dengue cases in Uttar Pradesh have crossed the 1,700 mark.

Lucknow alone reported 37 new positive cases in the past 24 hours.

The cases were recorded from the community healthcare centres of Aishbagh, Aliganj, Chandra Nagar, Gosainganj, Indira Nagar, Chinhat, Kakori, NK Road, Red Cross, Silver Jubilee, and Turiaganj areas of the city.

Chief medical officer (CMO) Dr Manoj Agrawal informed that those who have tested positive are recuperating at home.

“We are monitoring their condition closely,” said Dr Agrawal.

He said that to control the spread of dengue, joint teams from the health department and the municipal corporation carried out larvicidal and fogging activities in various areas of the district.

In addition, the public was educated about the importance of not allowing water to accumulate around their homes, covering water-filled pots and tanks, emptying and cleaning coolers once a week with a clean cloth before refilling them and wearing full-sleeve clothes.

Over the past 30 days, the city has reported three new dengue infections every two hours, with one fatality due to the disease.

The maximum cases, the health department officials said are being reported from posh localities like Gomti Nagar, Indiranagar and Aliganj.

Experts said that the situation is likely to continue until mid-November.

According to the health department data, at least 30 people are getting infected every day, which is 42 per cent higher than the average daily infection of 21 in September, the month when dengue increased at a rapid pace.

Dengue wards in major government hospitals like Balrampur, Lokbandhu, and SPM Civil are nearing capacity, with an influx of fever patients seeking treatment in their outpatient departments.