Amid dengue scare in the State capital the health department officials have collected samples of 53 suspected people on Thursday. On Wednesday too samples of 35 suspected cases were collected by the department for confirmatory test of dengue. All these patients are showing symptoms of dengue and are undergoing treatment at different hospitals of Dehradun. The reports of these patients are expected soon and it is believed that the number of positive cases would sharply increase when the report of these patients arrives. The number of cases in Dehradun district has already mounted 205 which are more than total 121 reported cases last year.
The district vector borne diseases officer, J P Bahuguna said that the department has collected samples of 4573 patients in Dehradun district in this season. He said that samples of 485 patients have proved positive for dengue in rapid test. It is worth mentioning here that the medical health and family welfare department do not consider the report of rapid test. The department only considers those cases which are found positive in the Enzyme linked Immuno Sorbent Assay (ElISA) test. Bahuguna said that the department has found 205 cases positive for dengue this year. The Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Dehradun, Dr S P Agarwal said that this year the occurrences of positive cases in district are unlike last year when they were concentrated in some localities as they are reported from different areas. He claimed that the department is in pro active mode on the disease front and people should not panic.
Increasing cases of Dengue has evoked fear among the residents of the city. The patients of seasonal diseases are thronging the hospitals and are seen requesting the doctors to conduct dengue test on them. One of a doctor at Doon hospital here said that it is hard to explain the people who insist on the dengue tests.
The experts say that the prevention is the only cure for the disease. The disease spread when an infected female Tiger mosquito bites a healthy person. This mosquito breeds in the fresh water and strikes during daytime. It is suggested that people should not let water accumulate water in and around their households. The health officials insist that water from flower pots, coolers, and open containers should be decanted that the mosquito does not breed in them. The people and school children are advised to wear full sleeved clothes during day time to prevent the mosquito bite.