2,351 dengue cases in B'luru, 6,033 in Karnataka

The number of confirmed cases of dengue fever in BBMP limits has risen to 2,351 with eastern Bengaluru reporting 919 cases followed by southern Bengaluru (503) and Bommanahalli zone (316).

As on July 21, the number of confirmed cases in the city was 1,900. The total number of confirmed cases across Karnataka is 6,033, following the detection of 400 new cases in Bengaluru.

“This is expected and the number of cases this year and previous years are almost the same. There is nothing to panic,” said Dr Lokesh M N, Chief Health Officer (Public Health), BBMP.

He insisted that the department was monitoring and conducting surveillance of the disease. “We have intensified the surveillance. All these years, we were getting reports only from 40-50 government hospitals. Now, private hospitals are also reporting. We have around 500 hospitals reporting the cases. A minute-to-minute surveillance is done by our epidemiologists,” he said.

According to Dr Lokesh, dengue is spread by aedes aegypti mosquito which breeds in clean, clear and stagnant water, and has an indoor habitat. It will only be seen inside homes. He asked the public to be vigilant.

“I have seen in homes how water in the commode becomes the breeding ground for mosquitoes, because it is not used,” he said. Such situations have to be avoided, something which is beyond the health department’s control, he added.