The people of Angul are in grip of fear as dengue positive cases have gone up to 190 from one case reported a month back. Five to eight positive cases are registered officially everyday.
“By Saturday, the number of total dengue positive cases reported from across the district was 190. The figure includes cases in the Capital Hospital in Bhubaneswar and SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack where the people of Angul had gone for the dengue test,” said District Malaria Officer Dr Trilochan Pradhan.
He said Talcher, where maximum cases were reported in 2011, recorded less number of dengue patients in the season. Banarpal block in the district has the maximum of about 60 cases this year till the date. Mostly workers working in industries like Bhusan and JSPL are the victims, he added.
Pradhan also claimed that Elisa test is available at District Headquarters Hospital and MCL Central Hospital which have separate dengue wards.
The local alleged that even though the disease has assumed alarming proportion and is spreading to new areas in the district, no step has been taken by the local administration to combat the threat.
There are areas under the municipality and villages that are full of bushes and chocked drains but no drive has been undertaken to clean those or control mosquito breeding.