Bengaluru: 182 cases of dengue in 25 days

Dengue has reared its ugly head again in the city with a four-fold increase in the number of cases in the past one month. While 48 positive cases were reported in May, the count has gone up to 182 since June 1, with seven cases being reported daily on an average. South and east Bengaluru are the worst affected. "Vijaynagar and Jayanagar in south Bengaluru; CV Raman Nagar, Shivajinagar, Vartur and Mahadevapura in east Bengaluru; and Rajajinagar and Mahalakshmipuram in west Bengaluru have seen a sudden increase in the number of cases," said Dr Naveen Kumar, mosquito control officer, BBMP. Cases have also been reported from Yelahanka and Peenya that are in the north of the city. Blaming irregular rain for the spurt in dengue cases, Dr Vatsala, chief health officer, BBMP, said, "Puddles, water stored in open tanks, stagnant water in coconut shells, broken tyres, cement tanks, air-coolers, barrels, plastic tanks, are major breeding grounds for Aedes Aegypti, the vector that spreads dengue. Lack of hygiene makes things worse. We are working on mosquito control measures and are holding larvae detection and destroying campaigns in the city." Manipal Hospital has been getting around 40 patients with dengue-like symptoms daily. "Compared to 2014, this year cases are increasing exponentially. We have also had patients with dengue-like symptoms who had to be treated in the ICU," said Dr H Sudarshan Ballal, medical director, Manipal Hospitals. He said if a patient has fever for more than three days and feels nauseous, with decrease in urine, he/she must consult a doctor immediately. "This is the season for denguelike ailments; we see at least 5-6 cases every day," says Dr I Suresh, administrative medical officer, Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences. At the Church of South India Hospital that gets a lot of patients from Shivajinagar and Fraser Town, every third person is down with viral or dengue-like symptoms. "The weather is conducive to viral infections. Schools have re-opened and the rain pattern has changed at the same time. This has made children more vulnerable. There is also a rise in the number of typhoid cases," said Dr Femine P Ragiah, a consultant pediatrician at the hospital. -TOI