CUTTACK: Dengue menace has assumed worrying proportions in the district with the rise in number of people testing positive for the vector-borne disease. So far, around 200 people, both from urban and rural areas of the district, have been affected by the deadly disease. The official report puts the figure at 180.
Tangi-Choudwar block is the worst-affected area with 58 dengue positive cases so far. Sources said
Manguli and Bilteruan localities of Harianta gram panchayat in the block have turned into breeding grounds for Aedes Aegypti mosquitoes due to dirty and unhygienic surroundings.
Waste materials including discarded parts of tyres and tubes generated from several resoling shops in and around Manguli square are facilitating mosquito breeding in the area. While the situation has worsened after the rains, the district administration is yet to conduct cleanliness and sanitation drive in the affected localities.
“Despite the claims of the administration, steps such as bush cutting and fogging to maintain cleanliness in Manguli and Bilteruan are yet to be taken,” said Kalindi Prasad Sahu, a local social worker.
Interestingly, Chief District Medical Officer Dr Hara Patnaik, who visited the worst-hit localities of Tangi-Choudwar block on Monday to take stock of the situation, had no information about the number of dengue persons. Patnaik said he would be able to provide the correct figure of dengue patients only after going through the official report.
Meanwhile on the day, the SCB Medical College and Hospital received 71 blood samples of suspected dengue cases of which 22 tested positive.
The 22 positive cases include 15 from Cuttack, two from Dhenkanal and one each from Balasore, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Kendrapara and Puri districts, informed Assistant Nodal Officer of SCB Dengue Ward Dr Sriprasad Mohanty.
Similarly, the number of dengue patients undergoing treatment at SCB increased to 57 by Monday. Seven of these patients have been shifted to ICU after their condition deteriorated.