Dengue on the rise in Odisha, 500 cases recorded in capital Bhubaneswar

Amid the rainy season, the mosquito-borne viral infection is on the rise in the state. At least 500 dengue cases have been reported in the capital Bhubneswar and hospitals in the state are directed to open separate dengue wards.

Gaon Connection
| Updated: Last updated on August 2nd, 2021,

Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection. Photo: freepik.com

At least 500 cases of dengue have been confirmed in Odisha’s capital Bhubneswar so far. Reportedly, 23 new cases were confirmed yesterday on July 30.

In the wake of the risk posed by the mosquito-borne viral infection, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has today assigned officers to monitor sanitation drives in the region.

“There are 2-3 areas of concern where we are holding special drives. We have assigned senior officers to each ward to monitor sanitation drives,” Anshuman Rath, BMC Zonal Deputy Commissioner (south east) was quoted as saying. 

A health team of BMC is expected to visit various wards of Bhubaneswar and take necessary steps after collecting the health data of the citizens in the areas with high risk of infection. During the surveillance in Bhubaneswar, dengue larvae have been identified in 588 locations.

Hospitals in the state are directed to open separate dengue wards. Photo: WHO

Meanwhile, the Odisha government yesterday directed all hospitals to open separate dengue wards at the earliest.

Directorate of Medical Education and Training Director CBK Mohanty was quoted as saying that the Health and Family Welfare Department has directed all hospital authorities to set up special dengue wards in their respective centres in the wake of the rising cases.

He also assured that “there is no need to panic over the D-2 strain of dengue as it was prevalent earlier.”

Researchers have found dengue virus serotype-2 (DENV-2 or dengue virus 2 or D2), the most virulent strain, in the samples drawn from patients in Bhubaneswar.

The World Health Organization points out that dengue epidemics tend to have seasonal patterns, with transmission often peaking during and after rainy seasons.

‘Just like COVID19, State failed to arrest spread of dengue’ 

The opposition parties have come down heavily on the state government and health department alleging that it has failed to address the dengue crisis just like COVID19.

During a press conference on July 29, Congress leader Debasis Patnaik said: “Like in the case of Covid-19, the State government has failed to arrest the spread of Dengue too. Neither the Housing and Urban Development department nor has the Health Department issued any advisory to tackle the present Dengue crisis in the State.”

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“It is surprising that there is no special ward for dengue patients, not even at the Capital Hospital in Bhubaneswar,” he added.

The state health minister Naba Kishore Das has denied these allegations. “Dengue is not new to the state. Every year during the rainy season dengue raises its head and gets controlled. All CMOs have been asked to take necessary steps to tackle the present situation,” he assured.

In the severe cases of the mosquito-borne viral infection, fatalities can occur. The public health body highlights that there is no treatment for the infection itself but the symptoms that a patient experiences can be managed. Symptoms of dengue may be observed around 4–10 days after the bite of an infected mosquito. Some common symptoms are fever, headaches, pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pain, nausea/vomiting, fatigue.