Two school students die of suspected dengue

Two students from Sophia High School died of suspected dengue in a private hospital on Monday.

According to sources, the students, studying in class III and IV, were residents of Sanjaynagar and Sultanpet, respectively. The BBMP is yet to confirm whether the deaths were due to dengue. Samples have been sent to National Institute of Virology for further confirmation.

According to Palike reports, with just eight days into October, as many as 80 cases have tested positive for dengue while two cases of chikungunya too have been reported.
 Statistics reveal 677 cases of dengue positive cases and 21 chikungunya positive cases since January 2012.

As far as State figures are concerned, 2,018 persons have tested positive for dengue with 21 succumbing to the infection, including four in the City.

The incidents of vector-borne diseases are steadily increasing in the City with not just cases of dengue fever but also chikungunya. Maximum number of positive cases for dengue were reported in the months of July and August and chikungunya cases in the month of September this year.

BBMP launched an awareness drive in the last two months to educate people on measures to prevent dengue.

Door-to-door campaign was also conducted with teams visiting houses to remove larvae in the stored water. However, awareness drive was discontinued in the second week of September, which led to increase in the number of dengue cases.

According sources from BBMP, the health inspectors and supervisors have been roped in for garbage management in the City, with each supervisor being sent to dumping yards for monitoring disposal. Lack of manpower has hampered the awareness drive.

With intermittent rains and lack of water supply in parched areas of the City, stored water in coconut shells and plastic cups have become the breeding grounds for aedes aegypti mosquitoes.