Rising dengue cases in Dimapur, Chümoukedima ‘highly concerning’, says official

DIMAPUR — Even as the state is combating the spread of conjunctivitis or eye flu, forcing district administrations to suspend classroom learning last week, the surge in dengue cases in some districts has become a matter of concern.

District Vector Borne Disease Consultant, Dimapur, Peter Sangtam, told Eastern Mirror that Chümoukedima and Dimapur districts have witnessed an increase in dengue cases this year, detecting more than 200 cases in just three months, starting from June.

As many as 206 positive cases of dengue have been recorded in Dimapur and Chümoukedima districts alone as of August 31, out of 1490 samples tested, compared to 151 cases registered in 2022, he informed.

This trend is “highly concerning” and the number of cases is likely to increase over the next few months, he added.

Sangtam informed that Nagarjan area in Dimapur is worst affected by the vector-borne disease, followed by Chümoukedima, while no dengue cases have been reported in Niuland district so far.

All the private healthcare facilities use rapid diagnostic test (RDT) kits for dengue infections, and if the tests return positive, the samples are sent to District Hospital Dimapur for confirmation through an ELISA test, he said.

As a preventive measure, he said the department is consistently conducting fogging operations. However, he pointed out that fogging can eliminate adult mosquitoes but does not address the elimination of mosquito larvae or eggs.

Informing that the dengue virus is transmitted by infected female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, Sangtam advised exercising caution when outdoors, as these mosquitoes that carry the dengue virus, tend to bite during the day time, particularly around dawn and dusk.

To prevent mosquito breeding, he recommended doing away with stagnant water within and around homes, including in items like tires and flower pot base plates, unclogging of drains and covering water containers.

Preventing mosquito bites by wearing clothes that provide proper cover to the body, and use of mosquito repellent and nets can help avoid mosquito-borne illnesses, he added.

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