• Health officials have begun organising awareness camps to combat dengue
• Fogging activities are also being undertaken on a sporadic basis
• Although the dengue season starts in October, officials are focussing to be prepared ahead of time
• They have also planned to intensify the preparedness measures from June 1
• The main aim is to reduce the number of cases registered this year
• As per state figures, total of 4,821 cases were registered in 2017 while 6 have been recorded in 2018 till now
Kamrup (Metro) district health officials are going all out in order to ensure a decline in the number of dengue cases this year in the district. The authorities said that they have already begun organising awareness camps in various parts of the district.
The joint director of Kamrup (Metro) district health services, Ganesh Saikia, informed G Plus that they are also taking up fogging sporadically in different localities.
“We are taking precautions much ahead of time this year and hope that the measures taken by us will show results and we see fewer cases this time. We have also planned to intensify the preparedness measures from June 1 onwards,” he said.
Saikia added that while the actual dengue season starts from October, the officials want to create awareness among people by organising awareness camps much ahead of time.
Dengue is a viral disease which is transmitted by the bite of Aedes Aegypti mosquito. Further, the symptoms of the disease do not become apparent immediately and the patient only develops them after 5-6 days. Dengue occurs in two forms namely the dengue fever and the dengue haemorrhagic fever- which is a more severe and fatal form of the disease.
According to experts, the vector-borne disease is characterised by high fever, severe headache, rashes, muscle and joint pains, nausea and vomiting and loss of appetite among other symptoms.
Officials say that the inaccessibility of health services in the remote areas of the state result in more number of cases being reported in the state. Additionally, humidity and a relatively warmer climate further promote the breeding of the vectors.
Officials from the state health & family welfare department informed that as part of their sensitisation creation measures, they ask residents to keep their surroundings clean and to keep clean water covered in their houses.
Assam sees an increasing trend of dengue
According to the figures of the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP), the dengue situation in the state has shown an almost consistent rise in the number of registered cases of malaria during the past five years.
As per the NVBDCP data, the state registered 85 cases in 2014. The number of cases saw an exponential rise in 2015 with 1,076 cases being registered. This number further increased to 6,157 in 2016 while it declined to 4,821 in 2017.
Saikia informed that this year a total of six dengue cases have been registered till now in the state with no deaths being reported.
Officials at the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) also said that they are undertaking fogging activities on a continuous basis in order to control the breeding of mosquitoes.
Regarding treatment of the disease, the NVBDCP states that although there is no drug or vaccine available for its treatment, early detection and proper case management plays an important role in controlling the disease and in preventing death.