Uttar Pradesh, Kolkata, and Tamil Nadu report a surge in dengue cases in the last week
Despite the upsurge, around 73 per cent of the respondents said anti-mosquito fogging has not been done in their areas by their municipal corporation or civic body, 45 days prior to the survey. Photo: iStock Dengue and other vector-borne diseases which have afflicted one in four Indian families with one or more members over the last three years, according to a survey by social media platform Local Circles, have seen a fresh upsurge in recent weeks across states.
The survey found that more than 20 states have recorded between 1,000 and 10,000 dengue cases and 15 states have reported under 1,000 cases this year. Until September 17, 94,198 dengue cases have been reported according to the National Centre for Vector-Borne Disease Control.
With 8,535 cases in North 24 Parganas and 4,427 cases in Kolkata, West Bengal has reported the highest case-burden of October, ABP News reported.
In the last week alone, several states have reported a surge in dengue cases, which is often the case during the monsoon and post-monsoon season when it comes to mosquito-borne illnesses.
Fifty cases of dengue were added on a daily basis in the state of Tamil Nadu over the last two weeks, bringing the year’s tally for dengue cases at 5,356 cases and five deaths, reported The Times of India.
On Wednesday, Bihar reported 373 dengue cases with 4,940 cases registered in October alone.
In Uttar Pradesh, over 13,000 dengue cases have been reported, with 600 new cases found in the last 24 hours as of October 20, 2023. Lucknow, Moradabad, Meerut, Kanpur, and Noida have been identified as the hotspots, according to India Today.
The aforementioned survey found that 28 per cent of the respondents had someone in their family who had fallen ill due to mosquito-borne diseases in the last three years, including malaria and chikungunya.
The survey was conducted with 58,000 responses in 327 districts, with 47 per cent of respondents from tier 1 cities, 34 per cent from tier 2, and 19 per cent from respondents from tier 3, 4, and rural districts.
Despite the upsurge, around 73 per cent of the respondents said anti-mosquito fogging has not been done in their areas by their municipal corporation or civic body, 45 days prior to the survey.
As civic authorities are not taking proactive measures to protect their residents, it increases household expenditure on mosquito control.
“The survey shows that 43 per cent of households surveyed spend Rs 200 or more each month on mosquito control. The majority rely on liquid repellents or sprays and battery-operated racket,” the survey said.
The following number of states recorded 91 dengue-related deaths until September 17, 2023 according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare:
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