Dengue count crosses 300 mark in Haryana, Gurgaon in list of ‘most-affected’

GURGAON: With 27 dengue cases so far this season, Gurgaon has now joined the list of ‘most affected’ districts in Haryana — where the most cases of the vector-borne disease are being reported. Other ‘most affected’ districts include Jind (70 dengue cases), Rewari (57), Rohtak (33) and Yamunanagar (31).
The city reported three new dengue cases on Wednesday.Across Haryana, 20 patients tested positive for the dengue virus, taking this season’s tally to 305. It has reported 100 cases in the past six days. On August 3, the state’s tally stood at 205.
According to the health department, fogging and anti-larvae drives are being carried in and around hotspots. All rural and urban slums are being screened on a priority basis.
“All four vector-borne diseases prevalent in Haryana — dengue, malaria, chikungunya and Japanese encephalitis — have been notified till March 31, 2024 under the Epidemic Diseases Act. Notices have been circulated to all private hospitals and labs to report every case to the health authorities within 24 hours of detection,” said a senior health official.
The mosquitoes that cause dengue breed in freshwater. It takes a week for the larvae to hatch. Dengue is transmitted by several species of mosquitoes within the genus Aedes. Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle and joint pain, and a characteristic skin rash like measles.
There are four types of dengue strains. Type II and IV are more severe and normally require hospitalisation.
Several hospitals in the city are also witnessing a rise in viral fever cases. “We have strengthened fever screening and are taking all precautions to avoid casualties related to dengue. Special drives are being carried out in areas where positive cases have been detected,” said Dr Virender Yadav, the chief medical officer.
The city had the highest number of dengue cases in 2015, when 451 cases were reported. This figure stood at 86 in 2016, 66 in 2017 and 93 in 2018. In 2019, 22 cases of dengue were reported, which rose to 51 in 2021.
According to the health department, 27 dengue testing labs are functional in the state for free diagnosis of dengue, at least one in each district. In addition, private hospitals and labs can charge a maximum of Rs 600 for a dengue test. Provision of free single donor platelets has been made for dengue patients admitted in government hospitals who are residents of Haryana since 2020. Before that, patients were charged Rs 8,500 per unit.