Monsoon ending, but dengue threat looms large

LUCKNOW: The monsoon has started weakening, but the threat of vector-borne diseases like dengue and malaria still looms large at least for a week, as stagnant water outside homes provides a breeding ground for mosquitoes and flies.

Chances of dengue cases go high in such prevailing conditions, according to doctors.

Doctors said that cases of viral fever and vector-borne diseases shot up drastically as post rain the weather becomes conducive for mosquito breeding. During monsoon, people should ensure that gutters and roofs should be cleaned and dried at the earliest.

“So far 300 dengue cases have been reported in Lucknow. Keeping this in mind, we have kept all hospitals on alert. Our teams are regularly sanitising and monitoring different areas to check favourable conditions for mosquito breeding,” said Dr Narendra Agrawal, chief medical officer, Lucknow.

“Coming weeks are important. Until temperature comes below the 24 degree Celsius the threat of dengue spread will remain there,” said Dr PK Gupta, former president of Indian Medical Association, Lucknow.

President of the Academy of Family Physicians of India, Dr Raman Kumar said, “To check dengue spread, public participation is a must. People need to keep homes, offices and surrounding clean and free from stagnant water. It can be prevented by simple things such as keeping body covered to avoid mosquito bite and also keeping body immunity high so that even dengue happens the recovery can be speedy.”

“Even empty utensils are also source for mosquito breeding and these must be checked on regular basis. Precautions can ensure our safety from dengue,” said Dr Gupta.

Maximum cases of dengue were reported from areas, including Ruchi Khand, Indira Nagar, Gomti Nagar and LDA Colony, he added.