BHUBANESWAR: Owing to the absence of an adequate source reduction drive, the dengue menace is spreading its tentacles in the State capital, taking many residential areas and slums in the city into its grip. Sources in the National Center for Vector Borne Diseases Control Programme (NVBDCP) said a total of 126 cases of dengue have been reported in the Khurda district in the current season since January. Of these, around 82 cases have been reported from the Capital region.
However, a health official said around 80 per cent of these cases have been reported in the city only this month. At least six cases of dengue have been reported on Monday, he said.
Sources said slum areas, mostly in Nayapalli, Niladri Vihar, Chandrasekharpur and Baramunda have remained vulnerable to the infection. Keeping in view the rising number of cases, the Capital Hospital here has activated its dengue ward with 10 beds.
Currently, four patients are undergoing treatment while half of the patients have recovered. Others have mild symptoms, sources said. With the onset of monsoon, health officials admitted that the number of affected persons will increase further if the source reduction drive is not intensified in the vulnerable areas. Over 2,000 people had been affected by dengue in the city last year. Two persons had also reportedly died due to the vector-borne disease in the previous year, an official said.
The civic body, busy with the over-drive of city beautification, however, is yet to expedite the source reduction drive or plan to counter the menace in the current season.
A team of BMC carried out an awareness drive on dengue in ward no-14. However, many vulnerable areas including Jayadev Vihar, Unit-IV, Salia Sahi, Excise Colony, RMRC, Mancheswar, Old Station Bazar, Madhusudan Nagar, Patia, Budha Nagar and Budheswari Colony affected last year are yet to be covered, though sources said the source reduction should have been taken since winter to destroy the breeding grounds and fight the infection effectively.
BMC authorities couldn’t be reached for their comments, while an official from NVBDCP said they have started awareness drive in some of the places with the help of SHG members, while their volunteers along with staff and workers of BMC will take up awareness rallies in parts of the city from July 1.
He said people having symptoms of fever and body ache have also been advised to go for ELISA test at designated testing facilities at RMRC, Capital Hospital, AIIMS and Khurda district headquarters hospital for early diagnosis and treatment.