Sunday, 09 September 2024 | PNS | DEHADUN
The cumulative number of dengue patients in Dehradun district mounted to five with the district health department reporting one new case of the disease on Saturday. The sample of a patient admitted in the SPS hospital Rishikesh was found positive in the Enzyme Linked Immuno Sorbent Assay (ELISA) test on Saturday.
The district vector borne diseases officer Subhash Joshi told The Pioneer that the district now has three active cases of dengue as two patients have recovered from the disease.
He said that the department is currently engaged in a massive source reduction drive in which the larvae of the mosquito are being destroyed. Joshi said that apart from ASHA workers the department has deployed 140 volunteers in the anti-dengue drive. He claimed that the department has so far searched 42,73,640 containers (small and large potential breeding places for mosquitoes) in the district and has found larvae in 51,120 containers so far. He said that the department is also engaged in spreading awareness in the society about the disease.
Dengue is a viral infection spread by the mosquito Aedes Aezypti popularly known as the tiger mosquito. The symptoms of the disease are persistent high fever, rashes, headache and pain in the joints. In the acute cases the platelets number decreases drastically which may prove fatal for the patient.
Ways to prevent Dengue
* Don’t allow water to collect in and near houses
* Regularly decant fridges, coolers, pots and cans
* Spread kerosene or other oils on small water bodies which are effective to destroy the larvae of Aedes mosquitoes
* Inform the district health authorities for fogging to kill mosquitoes
* Aedes strikes during day time and flies near ground level so wear full sleeved clothes at work places
* Immediately seek medical advice when someone develops a fever
