==
TURA, Oct 19: Cases of dengue fever are on the rise in Tura town with as many as 16 positive cases detected in Tura Bazaar area in the last few days prompting authorities to go in for intensive fogging of the areas where the detections took place.
Dengue fever is caused by the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito and symptoms are primarily fever, nausea, vomiting, rash, aches and pains and in some cases those infected with it go on to develop severe Dengue which can be life-threatening.
“I have called for a review meeting with the District Medical and Health Officer and National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme in this regard on Wednesday noon. Most of the cases are in the bazaar area and fogging is taking place in those areas. We have also directed for active surveillance. Right now there are 16 cases,” informed Deputy Commissioner Ram Singh.
This week, an entomological team that undertook an Aedes mosquito larva survey at Fancy Valley and its surrounding areas of Tura bazaar found high larvae density. Just from a search of 60 containers with water they were reportedly able to detect 30 of the containers with the presence of the Aedes larva, which is alarming for a possible outbreak.
Meanwhile, the district administration has urged patients developing such symptoms to head to the Tura Civil Hospital where the Eliza test for Dengue is being provided free of cost by the government. This appeal comes in the light of many people heading for private tests and being provided with unconfirmed results.
“This Eliza test is most accurate and used by doctors and researchers all over the world. It is being provided free for patients at Tura Civil Hospital. I urge them to utilise this test because we have found that some people are going for rapid tests in private clinics which are not at all reliable,” cautioned Ram Singh.
It is worth mentioning that Dengue, which was never heard of for decades in this corner of the region, has gradually become an annual health issue over the past few years.
Each year the number of cases continues to climb and one of the primary reasons for the presence of the Aedes mosquito is because people leave containers out in the open to collect water which is the primary host for the mosquito to lay its eggs.