Pune sees spike in dengue fever, 50 cases confirmed in two weeks

Dengue fever is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected mosquitoes. The primary vectors that transmit the disease are Aedes aegypti mosquitoes and breeding occurs mainly through man-made containers, including buckets, mud pots, discarded containers, used tyres and stormwater drains, making dengue an insidious disease in densely populated urban areas, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Prevention and control of the disease depend on effective vector control measures. “We have issued 971 notices to establishments and societies where breeding spots have been found and Rs 46,000 has been collected as administrative fee,” Dr Wavare said.

According to the civic health department report, this year there have been 11 cases of H1N1 virus (swine flu) infection till date. In May this year, a 60-year-old man from Phaltan tehsil in Maharashtra’s Satara district was admitted to KEM Hospital for treatment of swine flu. He, however, was not from Pune and later succumbed to the disease, Dr Wavare said.

When contacted, Dr Rajesh Gadia, consulting physician at KEM Hospital said that there is no large outbreak as such and sporadic cases of dengue are being reported. “However, we had admitted six persons with severe symptoms hailing from Baramati and Phaltan in the Intensive Care Unit. They were in shock, with symptoms like low blood pressure and acute respiratory disease syndrome,” Dr Gadia said.

The expert said that they were also seeing patients with seasonal influenza, apart from dengue and H1N1 virus. According to Dr Amit Dravid, infectious diseases expert at Pune’s Noble Hospital, they have seen a few patients with swine flu infection. The symptoms are similar to Covid-19 infection and a CT scan is conducted for patients with breathlessness to identify the disease, Dr Dravid said.