Bhubaneswar: The dengue situation in the state has become much worse with hundreds of dengue cases being diagnosed daily. A total of 2,111 dengue cases were detected till August 16 in Odisha with Khordha district topping the list with 1,155 cases.
On Wednesday, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) revealed that only 1,644 dengue patients had been diagnosed in Bhubaneswar till the 14th of August, while on Thursday the Director of Health said that 1155 patients had been diagnosed dengue positive from Khurda district till the 16th August.
Health Director Dr Bijay Mohapatra told the media on Thursday, “There is no alarming situation in all districts. But in 5 districts, the number of dengue patients has jumped by three digits. This year, dengue testing and surveillance have increased in the state. By this time last year, 17,362 people were tested for dengue, while 33,700 people have been tested.”
“Therefore, the number of dengue patients has increased. As of August 16 this year, 2,111 dengue patients have been diagnosed in the state. Last year, the number of dengue patients in the state was 1,441. This year, the maximum number of dengue patients was 1,155 from Khurda district, while 179 from Balasore, 150 people from Puri, 125 from Cuttack and 101 from Jagatsinghpur were tested positive for dengue, the Health Director said.
In the notification issued by BMC on Wednesday, 10,288 blood samples have been tested from the BMC area till the 14th of August, out of which 1644 people have tested positive for dengue. While this year’s test-positive rate is about 11%, it is less than the previous two years, it was 19% in 2022 and It was 24% in 2021.
As of the 14th of this month, 471 people have been admitted to the hospital while 421 people have fully recovered and discharged. Now only 50 patients are under treatment in the hospital, it was known from the review meeting.
While the data of dengue patients provided by the health department and the BMC barely matches, a lack of coordination has been observed between the departments in providing the actual data.
According to the information of the Health Director, the number of dengue patients has jumped by 3 digits in 5 districts of Khurda, Puri, Cuttack, Balasore and Jagatsinghpur.
As the state capital Bhubaneswar has become a dengue hotspot, BMC has now intensified surveillance, testing and awareness. School and college students are also being alerted in various ways through house-to-house campaigns. Despite this, the situation remains alarming in Bhubaneswar.
