Wednesday, 05 July 2023 | PNS | DEHRADUN
The dengue season in provisional State capital Dehradun started on a worrying note with the health department reporting six cases of the disease on Monday. The reporting of these cases in a single day sent the department in panic mode.
The teams of officials visited the houses of the affected patients on Tuesday. The teams inspected the houses and nearby areas and directed people to take steps to control the vector borne disease.
The district vector borne diseases officer, Subhash Joshi said that source reduction activity on a large scale is underway in the city. He said that the breeding places of mosquitoes inside the homes and vicinity should be destroyed. Joshi said that Aedes mosquitoes – the vector of dengue- are capable of laying their eggs in one spoonful of water so the pots, vases, water bottles and coolers should be decanted. The officer added that the Aedes mosquito bites during day time so it is advisable that everyone should wear full sleeve clothes to reduce exposure of their body for the mosquito to bite.
Dengue is a viral infection spread by the mosquito Aedes Aezypti popularly known as 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. In Uttarakhand the disease is more prevalent in Dehradun, Haridwar, Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar districts.
Ways to prevent Dengue
1. Don’t allow water to collect in and near houses.
2. Regularly decant fridges, coolers, pots or cans.
3. Spread kerosene or other oils on small water bodies which are effective to destroy the larvae of Aedes mosquito.
4. Inform the district authorities of fogging to kill mosquitoes.
5. Aedes strikes during day time and flies near ground level so wear full sleeved clothes at work places.
6. Immediately seek medical advice when someone develops fever.
