THANE: The district has witnessed a 153% rise in the number of people suffering from dengue in August as compared to July.According to the records of the district malaria office, out of 357 blood samples collected, 81 patients were detected with dengue in August, while in July out of 47 samples collected, 32 were tested positive.“We have started taking blood samples of those showing symptoms of the dengue early so that the virus can be detected at an early stage itself. This has resulted in the rise of patients suffering from the virus. Moreover, the number of dengue-affected patients are usually less in July as it is continuously raining and there is no stagnant water. But in August, the rain is unpredictable. So, the eggs mature faster,” said Dr. Pradeep Kakade, district malaria officer. It was even observed that there were more cases in metro towns as compared to rural areas as many households in the city refuse civic officials to carry out door-to-door checks for breeding spots. In villages, people are co-operative and allow the officials to carry out their checks, Dr. Kakade added.“Also, when we come across any dengue-infected patients, we make sure to carry out a thorough survey of the locality to check for any breeding spots. This is done so that in case there are any breeding spots it can be destroyed and the disease can be stopped from spreading. Even on regular basis we carry out checks and freeze all the spruces that we come across of the mosquito,” added Dr. Kakade.Meanwhile, the Thane municipal corporation carried out the highest number of checks in August. Out of 310 samples collected, 65 were tested positive, which means 20% suffered from dengue. While in July, 28 samples were collected and all were tested positive, which means 100% suffered from the virus. When it comes dengue deaths, the officials said that in the last eight months they have come across around five deaths which are suspected to be due to dengue. They added that the death review committee will check the serum sample of the patients by carrying out a ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) test, which will conclude whether the person died due to dengue or not.The officials stated that last year three confirmed deaths were reported. While one had taken place in Kalyan in January, the other two were reported in Ambernath in September.

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