Karnataka: Spurt in dengue cases in Dakshina Kannada district

MANGALURU: Spurt in dengue cases at a time when Dakshina Kannada district is fighting Covid-19 has left the health department in a tight spot.
While Dakshina Kannada has recorded many Covid cases over the past two months, the district also has reported 84 patients testing positive for dengue between January 1 and June 7. Moreover, the health department is also puzzled after a dengue cluster with 21 cases was discovered in one area of Puttur taluk within a month. The health department has deputed more health workers to prevent the spread of disease in the area. In Dakshina Kannada district, 96 cases of dengue were reported between January 1 and June 19 in 2019.
Only seven cases were reported in Puttur taluk during the period in 2019. The district had registered 1,539 dengue cases in 2019.
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 in the taluk.
They are conducting door- to-door visits and mosquito nets are being distributed to people. Meanwhile, a team of experts have also visited hospitals in the taluk and directed doctors to offer proper 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. All dengue patients have been given proper treatment," Dr Kulal told STOI .