With 68 cases of dengue & 432 of malaria,UT mulls next move

Health department officials said that this year the number of cases were on the lower side owing to the increased awareness among city residents about the fever and also due to ICE activities undertaken by the department by way of holding awareness camps in various locations.

“This year,the residents supported our campaign in a big way and adhered to the guidelines given by the department to avoid storage of water in coolers and rooftop tanks which help in breeding of mosquitoes. Moreover,there was not much stagnant water due to rains which is another contributory factor for the spread of the disease,” said Dr Naresh,Medical Officer (Malaria wing),UT Health Department.

“Since most of the cases come from border villages,the department is mulling a Joint Action Committee be formed which will include health department officials of Punjab and Haryana for better management of cases,” added Dr Naresh.

With a further dip in temperatures expected in the coming few days,cases of dengue will subside further.” he added.

According to official figures,182 cases of dengue were witnessed in 2006,99 in 2007,167 in 2008 and 25 in 2009.

So far,the city has witnessed one death due to dengue,in the case of an 11-year-old boy. Other than him,the city had three more deaths which include two suspected deaths due to dengue and a woman from Karnal.

This year,the city has witnessed a startling increase in malaria cases. Over 350 cases of malaria were reported last year. This year,however,the city has witnessed 432 cases of malaria in various government hospitals.

The officials of the health department maintain that most of the cases which have been reported belong to peripheral areas of the city including villages which are located on the borders of Chandigarh and fall in Punjab and Haryana. “The percentage of cases of malaria reported from within the city are very few,” said Dr Naresh.