Chennai records only 2% of last year’s dengue cases so far

CHENNAI: It has been an inexplicable year for the corporation’s dengue managers as the number of cases of the viral, vector-borne disease has dipped drastically. Only 2% of last year’s case tally has been recorded so far this year. And the southwest monsoon, which is when dengue cases peak, is nearing its end in the city.
According to GCC sources, till a few days ago, only 44 dengue cases have been recorded in the city. Last year, the city had recorded 2,200 cases. In September last year, around 440 cases had been recorded, while this year only 15 cases have come up.
GCC’s domestic breeding checker (DBC) and entomologists, who check for breeding spots across the city have in its latest check not reported any major spots across the city, sources said. The corporation calculates a container index and Breteau index for understanding the larval presence in water bodies or containers in the house. Data shows it is under control.
“Hospitals which may be busy with Covid-19 may not have treated cases accordingly or there may have been a lesser number of cases,” said a senior GCC official. Dengue is a notifiable disease and all hospitals need to inform the state government on number of cases.
Former chief vector control officer of GCC, B Dhanraj said it may be due to environmental factors like rainfall and humidity which may not have been conducive for the mosquitoes to breed. “Fever surveillance is important, we need to check if there has been an increase in the number of fever cases,” he said.
Dr S Subramanian, an infectious diseases expert said most of the dengue victims are children and the vector bites in the morning and evening. “Due to Covid-19, children have remained indoors and not gone to school. Movement in public places like playgrounds has also reduced. So, the opportunity for mosquitoes to bite has reduced,” he said.