400 cases reported in Oct alone; Health Dept in panic mode Gagan K Teja Patiala, October 16 There has been a sudden rise in vector-borne diseases in the district, with about 400 new cases of dengue being reported this month alone. At present, Patiala has 590 registered cases of dengue and city hospitals have swamped with viral fever cases, mostly dengue, in the wake of the sudden outbreak of the disease. Doctors across the city said cases of dengue were rampant among viral fever cases and the condition was so grim that most of them were either being treated in the outdoor patient departments or referred to some other hospitals, considering that the hospitals are full to their capacity. Patients complaining of high grade fever, vomiting, nausea, headache, joint pain and severe body aches are flooding government dispensaries, clinics and hospitals and the Health Department is now in a panic mode considering that the disease was under control till about a fortnight ago and the sudden rise in cases have brought them on their toes. The department even held a meeting with MC officials, urging them to hold intensive fogging twice a day across the city and nearby areas. The authorities fear that the number of cases may rise further, as the season for vector-borne diseases begins from mid-July and generally lasts till November-end. One of the health officials said the department was pretty confident that cases would be less this time considering that they had started awareness and challans in most of the areas in advance but there had been a lot of breeding of mosquitoes in various parts of the city, including Dyal Nagar, Ablowal, Ranjit Nagar and other areas on Bhadson and Rajpura roads. Surprisingly, many cases are arriving from posh areas too which has become a cause for concern. District Epidemiologist Gurmanjeet Kaur said: “The daily admission rate of dengue cases was about 30 to 40. However, we have further intensified our steps and are sending health workers to each and every nook and corner of the district to identify dengue cases and get them treated.” “Mosquito-borne diseases are taking shape of epidemic. There has been an alarming rise in the number of dengue in Patiala and our hospital itself has seen 30 cases in the past one week. If anyone is having skin rashes accompanied by severe joint pain and headache, an immediate check-up for dengue is a must,” said Dr Prashant Bhatt of Columbia Asia Hospital.The Health Department during a meeting with Municipal Corporation officials told them to hold intensive fogging twice a day across the city and nearby areas. The authorities fear that the number of cases may rise further, as the season for vector-borne diseases begins from mid-July and generally lasts till November-end.

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