Chikungunya, dengue on rise in Ramanagara

Bangalore’s neighbour Ramanagara district has been a cause for perpetual concern as it continues to bear the brunt of mosquito menace, with the highest number of dengue and chikungunya cases coming to light in the district.

According to statistics provided by the Department of Health and Family Welfare, 45 out of 188 chikungunya cases that were tested positive across the State were from Ramanagara. An official from the department also confirmed that the district had been consistently showing large number of cases over the years.

Officials of the department told Deccan Herald  that special care had been taken to ensure that appropriate measures were taken in Ramanagara. However, they added that most measures fell flat with unhygienic conditions prevailing in the district.

“There are awareness programmes that are conducted. However, the issue is that it is one of the primary areas where vegetables are cultivated. Waterlogging and leaking drainage is a common problem in the district,” said the official. Further, in places like Doddipalya, chemical contamination is rampant.

He added, “From what we have noticed, the conditions are so bad that people even fear buying the farm produce from this region as water from the drainage gets mixed with drinking water. This even stagnates in the fields making it conducive for mosquitoes to breed.”

Despite the State’s dubious distinction of recording the highest number of deaths due to vector-borne diseases in the country in 2013, little has been done to tackle the situation.
Karnataka reported 5,532 confirmed cases and at least 12 deaths in that year. Also, 21 deaths were reported in 2012.   
                       
Dengue cases

Dengue cases and large-scale deaths have also been reported from Haveri, Shimoga and Mysore in the past. As many as 413 cases tested positive for dengue from January 14 to June 21 across the State, with 43 cases in Bangalore alone.

The highest number of dengue cases in 2014 was reported from Haveri at 61.

Apart from measures that have been taken by the authorities, the commissioner of public instruction has been asked to inform headmasters in schools about the measures that need to be taken. Also, each Taluk Panchayat will have a breeding checker to ensure hygienic conditions and keep a check on water stagnation.

‘Dengue death in B’lore not proved’

Even as five-year-old Sania, a resident of Adugodi, died at St John’s Hospital allegedly due to dengue, director, Department of Health and Family Welfare said that it was not a case of dengue death. “It has not been proved,” the director said. However, hospital authorities said that the girl, who suffered multiple organ failure following dengue, breathed her last at her residence.