Five new cases of dengue were reported by the health department on Wednesday. Out of the five new cases, one is from Dehradun.
The district vector- borne diseases officer, Subhash Joshi said while talking to The Pioneer on Wednesday that four patients, found positive in the Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ( ELISA) test- the confirmatory test for dengue- are undergoing treatment at Himalayan Hospital Jollygrant. He further said that two patients, found positive on the day, are from Chauda Bigha area of Tehri Garhwal while one each are from Saharanpur and Roorkee and one of them is from Ajabpur Kala area of Dehradun.
The officer further claimed that a team of the health department had visited the places from where dengue were reported on the day and conducted door to door survey of the areas to find if there were more suspected patients of the disease. He said that the department in collaboration with the municipal corporation of Dehradun (MCD) is undertaking extensive fogging in many parts of Dehradun city to check the population of the mosquito.
Joshi said that people should ensure that the breeding places of mosquitoes inside their houses and the vicinity are destroyed. He said that Aedes mosquitoes - the vector responsible for dengue- are capable to lay eggs even in one spoonful of water. “It is thus imperative that the pots, vases, water bottles and coolers are decanted regularly,” he said. The officer added that the Aedes mosquito biting during the day time, it is advisable that everyone should wear full- sleeve clothes to reduce exposure of their body for the mosquito during the day time.
Meanwhile, the number of dengue-afflicted people in Utarakhand has mounted to 17. One of them had died on Tuesday.