Dengue alert: Health department issues advisory

Dimapur, Oct. 20 (EMN): The National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP), National Health Mission has issued an alert with an upsurge and detection of dengue cases around Dimapur and Chumoukedima districts, prominently in Diphupar area.

It has therefore advised the public to immediately undergo testing at district hospitals if one experiences any symptoms of fever, nausea, vomiting, rash, aches and pain.

 An advisory from NVBDCP has urged the public to use insecticide repellents, mosquito nets (LLIN) daily during day and night time, and wear long sleeve clothing or long pants.

It has asked to avoid stagnation of water in and around dwellings, tires, flower pot bases; while unclogging of drains and covering of water tankers is advised to curb mosquito breeding.

The programme has been conducting various activities like entomological studies, larvicidal operations, larvivorous fish distribution for open drains, water bodies, fogging, house-to-house fever survey, house-to-house vector study, where the owners are informed of high mosquito population, dengue awareness etc in order to contain dengue, it said.

“Unless every household actively participates in controlling dengue mosquito breeding in and around their surroundings, combating dengue disease only through the endeavours of the programme alone is futile,” read the statement.

It also appealed to the public to identify and remove all stagnant water in and around the household surroundings.

“Dengue mosquito breeds in even the smallest of container containing stagnant water example ‘a bottle cap’, so it is pertinent to remove all big and small mosquito breeding sites,” it advised.

It further advised to observe one dry day in a week where water in all the containers around the house are emptied out into a dry area.

Dengue fever is a viral tropical disease that is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. Dengue mosquito bites during daytime, mostly early morning and evening.

When a person is infected by the mosquito, the virus circulates in the blood for two to seven days, which is the amount of time the fever takes to develop, it added.