Jamshedpur, July 2 : The health department has detected of eight positive cases of dengue in the city. Following the cases, the department has swung into action by issuing important instructions to civic bodies and calling a meeting on July 8 at district civil surgeon�s office to chalk out action plan.
“Cases of dengue are being tested positive and we have started preparing ourselves. We were making people aware as to how to prevent themselves from falling victim to dengue this rainy season. But now we will have to start a full-fledged war against dengue,” said S K Jha, East Singhbhum district civil surgeon.
Sahir Pal, district officer for Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) confirmed about detection of eight positive cases of dengue in the city. “Yes we have eight positive cases of dengue in the city hospitals — four in Tata Main Hospital and two each in Kantilal Gandhi Memorial Hospital and Mercy Hospital. All these patients hailed from various localities of the city itself,” said Pal. He went on to inform that one case from Adityapur from SeraikelaKharsawan district has been tested positive.
“We need to understand that mosquitoes that carry the virus of dengue do not come from outside, rather they generate from the household things like flower-pots, coolers water, rejected tyre kept on the roof top or in the corner of the garden. So we must ensure that there is no such place where water is stagnant for sometime�, he noted.
Last year, the dengue had affected in all 120 patients in the steel city. The disease had claimed the life of a 26-year-old pregnant woman who died at the MGM Medical College Hospital.
Doctors in the city blame the rise in dengue cases to the deteriorating hygene in the city. They said that if the civic bodies do nothing, the number of cases could spiral out of control.
When contacted an official said that steps are being taken to control the situation fogging machines have been brought in, clearance of stagnation of water is being carried out, distribution of medication is being done.
Advising that people should keep their surroundings clear from broken items like buckets, tyres and coconut shells that can accumulate water and cause the disease, Dr UK Srivastava said that short spells have a higher chances of causing dengue than heavy spells.