There has been a rise in the number of dengue cases in the city, according to the health department of the Pune Municipal Corporation. As many as 200 cases of dengue and 72 of chikungunya have been confirmed by civic health authorities since January. Within a fortnight this month, authorities have confirmed 50 cases of dengue fever in the city. However, there have been no dengue deaths, Dr Sanjeev Wavare, assistant medical officer (health) told The Indian Express. From January till July, there have been 972 suspected cases of dengue while laboratory tests confirmed the viral infection in 193 cases. 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,” Wavare said. According to the civic health department report, there have been 11 cases of H1N1 virus (swine flu) infection this year. In May, a 60-year-old man from Phaltan tehsil in Satara district was admitted to KEM Hospital for treatment of swine flu. But he later succumbed to the disease, Wavare said. Dr Rajesh Gadia, consulting physician at KEM Hospital, said there is no large outbreak as such and sporadic cases of dengue are being reported. “But we had admitted six persons with severe symptoms from Baramati and Phaltan in the Intensive Care Unit. They were in shock with symptoms like low blood pressure and acute respiratory disease syndrome,” Gadia said. The expert said 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, Dravid said.
