BENGALURU: The state government is gearing up to fight the coronavirus, but it already faces the uphill task of older, existing viruses, especially chikungunya and dengue, which have only seen an increase in the number of cases.
The Economic Survey of Karnataka: 2019-20, citing the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme, has said the state recorded 4,848 cases and four deaths due to dengue in 2018, which rose three times to 15,586 cases and 13 deaths in 2019.
Of 15,586 dengue cases, 57 per cent or 9,000, are in BBMP limits, the highest in the state. Dakshina Kannada registered 81 per cent of total malaria cases.
BBMP Commissioner BH Anil Kumar told The New Indian Express, the increase in dengue and chikunguniya is because of population, although one of the reasons could be people not registering disease cases in other places. Asked about precautionary measures, he said right now, surveillance teams that tackle these cases is focused on the coronavirus outbreak.
However, malaria and Japanese Encephalitis (JE) cases have declined. The number of JE cases fell from 380 in 2018 to 329 in 2019, while malaria cases declined from 5,289 in 2018 to 3,206 the following year.