At least 14 people died due to dengue and more than 15,000 cases of malaria and dengue were registered in the past fortnight in Gujarat and more such cases, especially of dengue are pouring into hospitals across the State.
The scare of an epidemic of vector-borne diseases has literally created panic among the people. Even doctors are reportedly affected as 26 doctors working at Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation-run Vadilal Sarabhai Hospital are down with dengue fever.
“Apart from deadly dengue, patients infected with Chikungunia are also being admitted in hospital across the State. Cases of dengue type-3 are increasing in the urban areas. The State Health Department machinery has been alerted to counter the situation,” said a senior official of the department.
Generally, at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital OPD around 300 cases of mosquito-borne diseases are register in a day, but since the last 15 days more than 700 cases have been reported, said sources, adding that long queues are being seen in different pathological laboratories for different tests related to dengue.
In order to fight the epidemic, the officials at AMC have come with a unique strategy and trained over 100 Home Guards to find out mosquito breeding locations across the city. These Home Guards personnel, who generally help traffic police, would now create awareness among the citizens to combat dengue.