Maharashtra’s Pune has become the second district in the state to have recorded most number of Chikungunya cases with 92% of cases recorded in the city, according to the latest report by the state health department.
Reports said that 439 cases were registered between January and August this year in Pune whereas only 35 cases were recorded in the same period last year. Last year, from September to December, the total of 207 cases were registered. The data published by government’s testing and sentinel centers for chikungunya and dengue have not added cases from private hospitals saying that they use rapid test kits, which may give false positive reports.
According to the data, this year’s chikungunya cases is likely to surpass 2011’s 467 cases. In the state, total of 2,572 dengue cases have been recorded from January to August against 1,378 which was recorded during the same period last year.
The Health Department has said that prevailing weather conditions has increased the cases of mosquito-born diseases. The Joint Director of State Health Department, Kanchan Jagtap said, “The drizzle and showers witnessed towards the end of August resulted in water accumulation, creating conducive breeding grounds for Aedes Aegypti, the mosquito that causes dengue and chikungunya. The low fatality rate of dengue indicates better surveillance and timely diagnosis and treatment.”
PM started to initiate control measured from mid-August. Activist Sanjay Dabhade said, “Till, then their surveillance and control measures were inadequate. One of the reason was staff crunch in the insect control department. The posts were filled up on contract only in August.”
“Initially, we have filled up the required posts and initiated house-to-house surveillance from August 16. We found over 6,000 properties harboring larvae of dengue-causing mosquitoes. We have initiated multi-prong approach. People also need to see they do not facilitate mosquito breeding in and around their premises,” said the head of the insect control department of Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), Kalpana Baliwant.
By Prajakt K.
