Despite winters setting in Doon valley, Dengue cases are continuing to puzzle health department officials here.
On Monday, two new cases of dengue were reported in the provisional state capital.The number of the patients affected by the disease in Dehradun district has now mounted to 358.
The District in-charge of Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), Dr Puneet Chandra said that out of the total positive cases for the dengue this year, 192 are from Dehradun district while 119 are from Haridwar district. The department has so far collected samples of 6853 patients this year for the Enzyme linked Immunosorbent Assay (ElISA) which is the confirmatory test for the disease. With decrease in temperatures the virus of the dengue
The virus of dengue in State capital appears to be defying the long held belief that downward trend of temperature brings down the incidences of the disease. The experts and the health department officials are intrigued by this behaviour of the dengue virus. It is a general belief among the experts that the dengue virus becomes less active with the onset of winters and becomes dormant when the temperature plunges below 20 degrees centigrade. However the incidences of the disease are still pouring in from different parts of the city putting question mark this long held belief of the experts.
Meanwhile the swine flu which has caused 20 deaths in this year so far is now showing symptoms of subsiding. On Monday also now new case of the disease was reported. This disease has so far affected 172 people in this year.