After brief pause, dengue cases raise head again in Noida and Ghaziabad

NOIDA: After a brief pause, dengue cases in Noida and Ghaziabad have started to rise again. While Ghaziabad added 18 cases on Thursday, taking the total number to 530, neighbouring Noida reached the 125 mark.
With the frequency of rains coming down, officials had expected dengue cases to dip too. An area that has raised concern among officials is Sector 3 of Greater Noida (West). In block A of the sector, there are around 15 residents infected with the virus, the highest in the area.

Residents alleged that cases had started to rise again because officials had not been taking adequate measures of late. "We have raised complaints multiple times, but to no avail. We have been spraying anti-larvae on our own. As a result, several residents have developed symptoms of dengue. I have relatives among them. Had there been no slack in measures, the cases would not have risen again," said Neelam Yadav of Sector 3.
Officials refuted the allegations, saying they had been carrying out multiple checks. "On Thursday, we inspected nine households in block A. In two of them, there were four members who had tested positive on October 30 and 31. They are now recovering well at home," said Dr Rajesh Sharma, the district malaria officer.
During inspection, officials also found stagnant water at seven places, which were sprayed with anti-larvae chemicals. "Members of the primary healthcare centre have been instructed to carry out a door-to-door survey of all the households in the area and find out if there are any patients," he added.
Rakesh Kumar, the RWA president of Block A, said, "On Thursday, the health department officials and teams of the Greater Noida Authority inspected the area and sprayed anti-larvae medicine at sites where water was stored. Then, they emptied out all the containers."
Dr Vikas Kheria, a senior physician in Noida, said, "The number of cases is certainly rising. We have been seeing about 20-25 patients who are coming with fever, nausea and other symptoms of dengue daily. However, only a few of them are testing positive. However, the platelet counts of most of them are quite low."
Doctors on Thursday advised against letting the guard down. "Wear long-sleeved shirts and full trousers if you are going out during and after rains. Mosquitoes usually breed in water that gets accumulated in coconut shells, flowerpots and water coolers. Ensure that you remove such sources. Since mosquitoes also prefer small dark places for breeding, it is important to illuminate the home," said Dr Ajay Agarwal, the director and head of internal medicine at Fortis Hospital, Noida.
With the fall in cases in and around Diwali, many hospitals had locked their dengue wards in the city.