Even as the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) claims to have intensified the drive to curb the dengue menace, a top health official on Saturday said a majority of the cases of the vector-borne disease in the State are from capital city Bhubaneswar.
As many as about 1,000 cases of dengue have been reported in the State from January 2021, out of which, capital city Bhubaneswar has a maximum of 714 patients, said Public Health Director Niranjan Mishra.
The cases started surging in the BMC jurisdiction from July. “At least 30 to 40 cases are being reported every day in Bhubaneswar. The test for dengue should be conducted by ELISA method for accurate detection,” he said.
However, he warned people not to go to the private hospitals for dengue testing. Some private hospitals are conducting the examinations through cards ( Rapid Antigen Detection Card) which often show false positives, he added.
People can get their blood samples tested at the Capital Hospital or RMRC, he said. The Government has also made arrangements for dengue tests at all Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and Community Health Centres (CHCs) in urban areas, he said.
However, Mishra said the Covid situation in the State is under control now. There is no need to panic in anticipation of future situations,” he said.
“We are geared up with the necessary infrastructure. There is a need to keep our infrastructure ready keeping in mind the next six months,” Mishra pointed out.
He said there was no need to worry if the rate of infection came under control in next six months. “The State is showing an improvement in the Covid situation with a decline in single-day cases every day,” he said. The active cases have declined below 12,000. The cases of hospitalisation have also drastically decreased.
The situation in Khordha is also stable now. The number of patients seeking medical assistance has also decreased in the district, he claimed.