Dengue cases decline in Lucknow
Dengue cases in Lucknow are declining as winter approaches, with daily cases dropping from over 40 to just six reported recently.
Dengue cases in the state capital have finally started declining with the number of daily cases showing a steady decrease.
According to experts, the upcoming winters is the cause for reduction in number of active dengue cases reported by the chief medical officer’s office in a day.
Just last week, the daily number recorded were well over 40 or 50, while the numbers recorded over the past five days has just barely crossed 30, with only six cases reported on Monday.
The downward trend became visible since November 8 with 26 cases reported on Friday, 31 on Saturday, 21 on Sunday, and only six on Monday.
Dr Vineeta Mittal, president of the Indian Medical Association and nodal officer for state sentinel lab for dengue testing said, “Dengue season typically lasts for a minimum of two weeks post the end of monsoon. Since the monsoon and consequent winters have been delayed for the past few years, the incidence of dengue has extended way beyond October.”
She explained, “Every year, the actual decline of dengue is reported after Diwali because people usually clean their homes as a matter of tradition.”
Post Diwali, the number of homes found conducive for mosquito larvae breeding have also gone down, said district malaria officer from the CMO office Dr Ritu Srivastava. Further, dengue wards and reserved beds in government hospitals are also gradually emptying out, as the number of patients admitted daily has also dropped to half.
Former chief medical officer Dr Manoj Agarwal said that last year, the total number of dengue cases reported in Lucknow was around 2,700. This year, with the dengue season almost coming to an end, the capital has recorded only a little over 2,300 cases since January.
According to Dr Mittal, “Following Covid, the fear of contracting dengue and other vector borne diseases has increased in public. Therefore, testing and diagnosis was much more prevalent, leading to a drop in the number of positive cases. Most of the dengue patients were able to receive medical assistance before their conditions worsened.”
New CMO reviews health schemes
Newly appointed chief medical officer Dr NB Singh, in his first meeting after assuming charge, reviewed all the ongoing health schemes and their accessibility. He reviewed all programmes including the Janani Suraksha Yojana, Janani Shishu Suraksha Program, Regular Vaccination, National Tuberculosis Eradication Programme, National Leprosy Eradication Programme, Family Welfare Programme and Child Health Services. All district medical officers, superintendents of district hospitals, and representatives from CHCs (community health centres) and PHCs (Primary health centres), among others were present at this meeting.