Bangalore records 3 dengue deaths

Bangalore: As Bangalore gears up for monsoons, hospitals in the city have recorded three deaths due to dengue. A BBMP health officer confirmed to Express that as many as 15 cases have been reported so far and as the rainfall increases, the number of cases will shoot up. The BBMP will soon hold a meeting to tackle the situation, the officer said.

BBMP Standing Committee chairperson Venkatesh Babu assured to conduct fogging and segregate waste as a preventive measure. Dr Lokesh, project co-ordinator for dengue and malaria, said, “Monsoon perpetuates favourable conditions for viruses to mutate. There is no serious outbreak, but only a negligible number of viral fever and dengue cases have been reported so far. Starting from January 1, till date, 15 positive cases of dengue and two cases of chikungunya have been reported. We have intensified fogging wherever there are cases of dengue and chikungunya. Spraying, source reduction activity and also awareness campaigns are being carried out on a routine basis.”

Adding that the number of cases will increase after the rainfall starts, he said hospitals have been advised to diagnose with macelisa type method for an accurate report. Also, four sprayers have been provided for core areas. For the past one week, five to eight cases of viral fever are being reported every day at the B R Ambedkar Government Medical College.

Dr Anees Parvez of Chaitanya Hospital said, “Majority of viral fever complaints are from children living in slums in D J Halli, Tannery Road, Kavalbyarasandra, Kadugondanahalli, Nagavara, and other surrounding areas. High fever, vomiting, abdominal pain and a very low blood platelet count are among the major complaints. So far, we have recorded three confirmed cases, out of which two of them have been discharged, and one patient hails from West Bengal, who is still in the ICU. We are focussing on prevention of dengue attack as deaths due to dengue are higher when compared to deaths due to chikungunya. We have instructed the district health officials to hold awareness campaigns.”