Besides Covid, Dakshina Kannada finds a dengue cluster too

MANGALURU: Spurt in dengue cases at a time when Dakshina Kannada district is fighting Covid-19 has left the health department on its toes.
Besides the many cases of Covid-19, the district also has reported 84 patients testing positive for dengue between January 1 and June 7. Moreover, the department is also puzzled after a dengue cluster with 21 cases was discovered in one area of Puttur taluk within a month. It has deputed more health workers to prevent the spread of disease in the area. In the district, 96 cases of dengue were reported between January 1 and June 19 in 2019. Only seven cases were reported in Puttur then.
Though the number of cases is less compared to the corresponding period in previous year, finding more cases in one cluster is a cause of concern, said district surveillance officer Dr Naveen Chandra Kulal.
“We have found 21 cases in Bettampady and Balnadu villages of Puttur taluk recently. We have sent more health workers, including ASHA and ANMs, to carry out special drives to prevent the spread of dengue. They are paying door-to-door visits and giving mosquito nets to people. A team of experts has also visited hospitals in the taluk and directed doctors to offer treatment and take measures to prevent the spread of dengue. We have also directed doctors to be cautious about Covid-19, but not refuse treatment to dengue cases,” Dr Kulal told TOI.