586 people test positive for dengue in State

As many as 586 people across Karnataka have tested positive for dengue and one death has been reported so far this year. The deceased is a 40-year-old woman from Chitradurga district where at least 30 people have tested positive for the disease.

The highest number of cases have been reported in Bengaluru. Statistics provided by the Department of Health and Family Welfare show that a total of 129 samples were tested positive in Bengaluru.

Bengaluru sees a large number of dengue cases whenever there is a spurt in the vector-borne disease. This could well be attributed to unseasonal rains and poor waste management, an official in the department said. “The number of H1N1 cases are high in Bengaluru because of the dense population. The City needs to improve its solid waste management if dengue cases have to come down,” the official said.

Dengue cases are usually reported between June and July, right in the middle of monsoon. This time, however, there has been a spurt in such cases even before the rainy season began. Doctors attribute this to unseasonal rains.

Awareness programmes
The health and family welfare official, quoted above, said the government would organise awareness programmes in schools as they had reopened. Minister for Health and Family Welfare, U T Khader, recently held a video conference with officials of various districts and the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) about the measures to be taken, the official added.

Meanwhile, the BBMP’s health department is undertaking a survey on dengue and the number of cases reported in Hebbal, Ganganagar and Manorayana Palya areas covering over 1,500 houses. A free health check-up camp will also be organised for residents of these localities. The survey will be conducted by 30 teams, with each of them consisting of four nurses, a gangman, an NGO, an anganwadi worker and a link worker.

According to an official in the BBMP, 98 cases were reported in Bengaluru from January till the first week of June. “A number of cases have been reported at RMV Extention in Sanjaynagar. A survey is being conducted and a camp will be held.”

Dengue cases were also reported in Hanumanthappa Colony, Seshadripuram, Chamarajpet and Anandapuram slum in KR Market.