Health officials on Wednesday reported a surge in dengue cases in Bhubaneswar, with 141 cases being reported so far only this month.

Since January, a total of 244 dengue cases have been reported, with the majority occurring in four areas under the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC)’s north zone namely Chandrasekharpur, Niladri Vihar, Damana, and Patia. No fatalities have been reported so far in the city associated with dengue.

Dengue cases showed a considerable drop in June, but July returned the city′s fear of the disease. According to sources, the four worst-affected localities contain large drains close to slums and some residential areas. Drains and low-lying areas have now developed into major mosquito breeding grounds. The problem was made worse by peoples careless behavior, according to the officials.

Deepak Bisoyi, a BMC municipal health officer, said the civic organization has increased its dry day push to two days per week in order to eliminate mosquito breeding grounds and eliminate standing water from various locations.

To tackle the dengue threat, the BMC has also developed a standard operating procedure (SOP) and assigned different tasks to the officers. According to the SOP, door-to-door surveillance would be increased in affected wards. Additionally, a zonal deputy commissioner has been asked to supervise the surveillance and ensure smooth working to prevent the spread of dengue. (Times of India, Jul 28, 2022)