Over 700 dengue cases including 7 deaths reported from Assam and Manipur - Hindustan Times
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Over 700 dengue cases including 7 deaths reported from Assam and Manipur

BySobhapati Samom and Utpal Parashar
Nov 08, 2022 08:43 AM IST

Assam has reported more cases than Manipur with four deaths reported from the hill district of Karbi Anglong while Manipur saw cases and deaths in 12 of the state’s 16 districts

As dengue continues to rattle parts of India this year, Assam and Manipur have so far reported over 700 cases of the vector-borne disease while seven persons have died.

The number of cases in hill areas is very rare, but this year there has been an unexpected increase. (File image)
The number of cases in hill areas is very rare, but this year there has been an unexpected increase. (File image)

Assam has reported more cases than Manipur with four deaths reported from the hill district of Karbi Anglong while Manipur saw cases and deaths in 12 of the state’s 16 districts.

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In Assam, a total of 369 dengue cases has been detected since the beginning of October. Karbi Anglong had the highest number of 344 cases and 4 deaths with most cases detected in the district headquarter of Diphu.

Also Read: Dengue, chikungunya cases keep Panchkula health department on their toes

This was followed by Kamrup Metropolitan district with 11 cases, 2 cases each in Nalbari, Sibsagar, Dima Hasao and a case each in Darrang, Dibrugarh, Kamrup Rural, Nagaon, Hojai, Sonitpur, Tinsukia and Udalguri districts.

Officials stated the first few cases were detected in the first week of October and it kept on increasing in subsequent weeks. While new cases are still occurring, doctors feel they might decrease within next one-two weeks as the rains have stopped.

“Usually, we have fewer dengue cases in northeast region in comparison to other parts of the country. The number of cases in hill areas is very rare, but this year there has been an unexpected increase,” said Dr Ratul Takur, deputy superintendent, Diphu Medical College and Hospital (DMCH).

Health officials stated that measures like reduction of sources where mosquitoes breed, awareness drives and fogging especially in localities of Diphu have been undertaken to bring down the number of cases.

“We don’t usually see such an outbreak of dengue in Karbi Anglong. It was only after the first few cases were detected that we increased surveillance and tests. The positivity rate is very high and out of around 250 tests, about 200 are infected,” said Dr Borsing Rongpi, joint director (health), Karbi Anglong.

“Last year, we conducted 75 tests and only one person was found infected in the entire district. We are yet to understand why the outbreak has occurred this year. State level teams have arrived in Diphu and are conducting studies,” he added.

Meanwhile, Manipur has so far detected as many as 375 cases of dengue which is the highest after 359 cases reported in 2019.

The disease has claimed three lives in the state this year and five persons are currently undergoing treatment in hospitals, according to state health department sources.

“These cases were reported from across 12 districts after detection started from early part of June this year,” said state malaria officer Dr AR Chisti of the state health department.

“However, there is nothing to panic as the state health authority is taking up all possible measures to control the disease”, the officer added.

Among the 16 districts of the state, Tengnoupal have the maximum cases (200) and it was followed by Churachandpur (51), Imphal East (47), Imphal West (40), Bishnupur (10), Thoubal (10), Kangpokpi (8), Kakching (3), Chandel (2), Ukhrul (2), Senapati(1) and Tamenglong (1) respectively. However, no cases of dengue was detected in Jiribam, Kamjong, Noney and Pherzawl districts till date.

According to experts, water containers such as tanks should be fully covered as these mosquitos it as their breeding ground. One should use mosquito nets and repellents while sleeping.

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