Odisha district battles soaring cases of dengue

212 dengue cases detected in Khurda alone in last two months

Already reeling under the grip of Covid pandemic, Odisha’s Khurda district under which comes state capital Bhubaneswar, now battles spiralling cases of dengue, causing serious concern to the administration.

As per the available data from the state health department, there were only 66 cases of the vector-borne disease in the district last year. However, a whopping 212 dengue cases have been detected in Khurda alone in the last two months.

Entomologists said the steady surge in cases is likely due to a high level of mosquito breeding due to accumulation of stagnant water and dumping of garbage at open spaces during the monsoon.

“Each sewer in the town leads to a drain sump pit and each pit has been dug within a distance of 50 feet to 100 feet. These pits generally remain opened and become the breeding ground for mosquitoes. I also feel the municipality has not taken any appropriate measures to stop the spread of the disease despite knowing that the vector-borne infection breaks out mostly during monsoon,” alleged Bimala Sarangi, a resident of Khuda town.

Nrusingha Nath Mishra, an advocate, alleged that all drains in the town were choked with mud, silted water and garbage and they have not been declogged. “If the cleaning drive is not taken up immediately, more people will get infected with dengue,” he added. As per reports, the number of dengue cases in urban areas, particularly Bhubaneswar, is on a serious rise this year.