Tarn Taran, Oct 28: With alarm bells ringing from Kerala to New Delhi over the rapidly increasing cases of dengue, it’s no different in Punjab. The last two days alone (October 25 and 26) have seen 652 cases reported.
Health department data says 6,771 cases have been reported till date this year. That’s an average of 23 cases a day. This is lower than last year that saw 10,149 cases — an average of 28 a day. As for deaths, there have been 12 suspected dengue deaths. The number was 15 last year.
But the numbers may rise as conditions remain favourable for breeding of the mosquitoes that carry the virus. “September and October are months when dengue spreads at a high rate. This is why we have launched several programmes for public awareness,” said Dr Gagandeep Singh Grover, state programme officer for National Vector-Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP), over phone from Chandigarh.
Health experts from Tarn Taran, which has seen the fewest cases, say most dengue infections take place because of pools of water inside houses. The dengue larvae takes 7-10 days to develop into an adult, thus, if care is taken to remove all breeding places at least once a week, the spread can be controlled to a large degree, say experts.
News Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com
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