The city faces an outbreak of dengue with as many as 35-40 patients undergoing treatment in a single hospital alone. The disease has already claimed three lives. Also, doctors at B J Medical College have in their surveillance report stated that there were 37 cases of chikungunya have been reported in September.

A total of 75 positive cases of chikungunya have been confirmed by the State sentinel surveillance centre for dengue, chikungunya and Japanese Encephalitis at B J Medical College from May till September this year in Pune and surrounding areas.

Pune Municipal Corporation's health chief Dr R R Pardeshi urgently called an official meeting of the administrator of the KEM Hospital where 35 patients suffering from dengue are being treated.

Even as the private practioners have been reporting increasing number of patients suffering from dengue and chikungunya, the PMC finally decided to take stock of the situation and on Thursday, Pardeshi met the administrator and few doctors at KEM hospital.

“A total of 250 cases of dengue have been registered out of which 80 are from outside Pune,” says Dr Rajesh Gadia, chief of the dengue project at KEM hospital.

There have been three deaths due to dengue. Dr Sadashiv Patole, in charge of the infectious diseases cell at PMC however said that there were 48 confirmed cases of dengue and measures like fogging are being taken at the breeding spots. The PMC has also appealed to people that water should not be stored for more than five days as it was a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

... contd.