Dengue continued its sting, kept health officials on their toes

Cases shot up since June sending health officials into a tizzy. They started house-to-house surveys to detect breeding sites in both rural and urban areas. In June, 241 dengue cases were detected and cases almost tripled to 630 in July.

August saw a small reverse swing and 591 cases were registered. In September, it threatened to breach the four-figure mark, and it may well have had not surveillance curtailed it to 918. Cases declined to 493 in October and 340 in November.

It’s here to stay

While the dip in mercury led to a decline in new dengue infections, doctors have cautioned that dengue was now endemic to the city and people need to destroy mosquito breeding sites at homes, as aedes aegypti breeds in clean water. Water in open containers left undisturbed for days, water in empty coconut shells and rooftops and sills if not drained out could be sites for aedes aegypti to breed.

Cold and dry months, no exceptions

Even drier and colder months — not favourable for aedes aegypti to multiply —saw 52 dengue cases in January and 26 in February. The number fell to 11 in March and 18 in April. Urbanization helped mosquitoes to breed in overhead tanks and water collected at construction sites. Water in discarded tyres and tubes can also be breeding sites of mosquitoes, according to Dr S T Pardeshi, acting chief medical officer of PMC.

The battle had begun right at home   

The insect control department had cancelled leaves of workers to ensure round-the-clock surveillance. More than 5000 notices were issued to builders, construction sites, bungalow owners and others to contain mosquito breeding sites. Dr Sanjeev Wavare, who is in charge of the insect control department said that over 14,000 breeding sites were detected and house-to-house surveillance showed that most breeding sites were found inside homes. People have to ensure there is no waterlogging in basements of apartment blocks or terraces.

Experts said that an important factor for a dengue patient to get back to health is early diagnosis. If the disease is picked up early, its effects can be combated at home, Dr Rajesh Gadia, consulting doctor at KEM hospital said.

Challenges 2015

Tough to get people to act

The peak season for breeding of dengue vector (carrier) is July to September. Intermittent rain and storing of water for days together at homes can give aedes aegypti more sites to breed but state health officials say it’s difficult convincing urban residents that their homes could have mosquito breeding sites.

Dr H H Chavan, Deputy Director, Pune circle said preventive measures should in place throughout the year rather than only the peak season.

Facilities, awareness and a vaccine

The health department of Pune Municipal Corporation had to initially ask the state health authorities for medicines and insecticides to fight the disease. It has to set up labs for facilitating access to tests at  subsidised rates for detecting dengue virus.

Information, Education and Communication (IEC) activities should be stressed, Dr Kanchan Jagtap, Joint director of health said. The hunt for a vaccine should be accorded top priority, Jagtap said.

Fine ‘coercion’ for people’s response

Dr S T Pardeshi, acting chief medical officer of the PMC, said they will levy hefty fines on citizens if mosquito breeding sites are detected in their homes.

“Dengue control plan is drawn up in summer, ahead of monsoon. Now, surveillance will be throughout the year and action will be stringent,” Pardeshi added.