15 Dengue Cases in Patiala as Mosquitoes Found Breeding Around 4,400 Sites in the City

15 people have tested positive for dengue in Patiala amid health authorities finding around 4,400 mosquito-breeding sites in the city. The dengue-affected patients include a doctor and head of the ENT department at Rajindra Hospital, Times of India (TOI) reported. 900 people have also undergone MAC-Elisa test for the mosquito-borne disease, dengue.

Health officials claimed to have found and destroyed dengue larvae thriving around 4,400 sites in the city, highlighting once again the need for protection from mosquitoes and, in turn, malaria, chikungunya and other mosquito-borne diseases.

Over 400 people had been fined till Wednesday after dengue larvae were detected in their houses, the officials said.

Earlier this month, health authorities had said 57 government departments, including PSPCL, PSTCL, PRTC and PPCB among others, were also fined.

The health department claimed that despite repeated warnings and awareness programmes, several government departments had paid no heed and allowed their precincts turn into breeding places for dengue larvae.

“We will leave no stone unturned to counter the dengue menace. Officials at various government departments did not pay heed to the spread of dengue larvae and fines have been imposed on them.

The drive will continue in the near future and no one will be spared,” Civil Surgeon Dr Harish Malhotra had been quoted as saying.

In Tamil Nadu, the Greater Chennai Corporation has decided to impose fines up to Rs 10 lakh on government and private hospitals that fail to keep a check on mosquito- breeding sites.

“In some hospitals, used medicine bottles are left on the terrace. It is a sorry state of affair,” a Times of India (TOI) report quoted a senior official of the civic body as saying.

Authorities have also divided the city into 3,000 blocks and directed health workers to survey 500 houses in a week.

“They will check backyards and terraces for unused tyres, open water drums and other areas,” Greater Chennai Corporation commissioner G Prakash was quoted as saying.

The civic body has urged heads of departments of all government offices, including the Secretariat, to keep premises clean of mosquito larvae.

Rajasthan, which has recorded over 1,300 dengue and malaria cases since January, recently announced rapid response teams and control rooms besides free blood tests at healthcare facilities to curb diseases such as malaria, swine flu, chikungunya and dengue.