Bengaluru, Sept 13: In the first eight months this year (2019), Karnataka has registered around 10,500 cases of dengue of dengue fever, i.e., 138% higher compared to the same period last year (2018).
The state government data released on September 9 shows six deaths due to the mosquito-borne disease, up from four last year. According to data, the state has reported 10,524 cases of dengue so far in 2019 where as 4,427 cases were reported in the entire 2018.
Alarmingly, 61% of the dengue cases — 6,515 — were from Bengaluru city under the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). In the first week of September alone, 322 cases of dengue have been diagnosed in the BBMP area. After Bengaluru, Dakshina Kannada, at 948 cases, has the highest incidence in the state so far.
The viral infection spread by the bite of the infected Aedes aegypti mosquito has registered an increase across southern India in 2019: Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Kerala were among the five worst-hit states in India as of June. The current situation has rung alarm bells in Delhi — a team from the National Vector-Borne Disease Control programme, under the ministry of health and family welfare, visited Bengaluru a fortnight ago to take stock of the situation.
However, the state health department and BBMP claim dengue is seeing a declining trend. “In Karnataka, the highest number of cases have been from Bengaluru. The BBMP has identified 50 wards in which 50 volunteers are conducting house-to-house survey for larvae detection, source reduction and to create awareness,” Dr BG Prakash Kumar, joint director of the National Vector-Borne Disease control programme, said.
Dr BK Vijendra, child health officer, BBMP, added: “The trend has changed in the past 15 days with cases coming down. The week-wise analysis shows a decline. However, the east and south zones of BBMP are the problem area where we have intensified mosquito breeding prevention measures.”
“The virulence has come down but we are seeing cases even now,” says Dr Ambanna Gowda, internal medicine specialist at Fortis Hospital.
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