Jammu, Oct 1: An ATM guard died in Sunderbani, Rajouri while 93 dengue cases, mostly from Jammu district’s urban residential areas have surfaced in the division so far.
A dengue case has also surfaced from Kupwara in Kashmir division. According to a report of the state malariologist, there has been a sharp rise in dengue cases in Jammu district.
“At least 72 cases have been reported from Jammu district’s residential areas like New Plot, Sarwal, Gangyal and other places in September,” an official said.
“An ATM guard, who was in Katra, developed symptoms of dengue and came to Government Medical College and Hospital (GMC&H), Jammu for treatment. As his condition did not improve, his family took him to Ludhiana for advanced treatment. After getting the treatment there, they returned to their native village in Sunderbani, but he could not survive,” the official said.
He said that they had distributed kits for dengue tests in GMC&H Jammu, Government Gandhi Nagar Hospital, Jammu and Government Hospital at Sarwal like 10 other identified hospitals in Samba, Rajouri, Poonch, Udhampur, Jammu and other districts.
“The GMC&H Jammu has dedicated 12 beds for dengue patients,” the official said. “We don’t have specified treatment nor is there any vaccine but we are providing supporting treatment. When one develops warning symptoms like bleeding from the nose, rashes, and severe fever, the person should immediately consult a doctor.”
The official advised to keep the surroundings around the residence and locality clean to avoid breeding of mosquitoes as the humid weather and rainwater collection is the main cause of breeding mosquitoes.
As the cases increased suddenly in urban areas, the official said that the Health department also alerted Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) to monitor the situation in rural areas.
“They are told to inform the rural population about dengue and suggest measures like avoiding collection of water in flower pots, which can be breeding grounds for the mosquitoes spreading dengue,” the official said.
He said that they were conducting fogging and sprays in areas where dengue cases surfaced in Jammu with the collaboration of Jammu Municipal Corporation.