Congress demands immediate step to contain spread of Dengue in Odisha

A total of 1,154 dengue-positive cases have been detected by August 3 while its number was 1,019 cases during this time last year

Bhubaneswar: With rise in Dengue cases in Odisha, Opposition Congress on Monday held a protest rally drawing the attention of the state government and the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC).

The members of the Bhubaneswar unit of Congress led by its leader Biswajit Das staged a demonstration here and submitted a memorandum to the BMC Mayor demanding immediatel steps to contain the spread of dengue in the state capital.

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Terming Bhubaneswar as the ‘Dengue Capital’ of Odisha, Das claimed that 300 new cases of dengue have been detected in the state capital in a span of six days. “An average of 50 cases are being reported from the state capital alone”, he said. OPCC general secretary Rashmi Mohapatra said, “The authorities have not yet launched any awareness programme for dengue in the state capital.” As per the Health Department, dengue cases have been reported from 24 districts of the state. A total of 1,154 dengue-positive cases have been detected by August 3 while its number was 1,019 cases during this time last year.

Dr Laxmidhar Sahu, Director of Capital Hospital here, said that about 150 people are coming to the hospital for dengue tests daily and about 40 are testing positive.

He said at present, more than 30 patients are undergoing treatment and about 365 have been discharged. While the hospital has only 10 beds dedicated to dengue, the authorities have now increased the number of beds to accommodate the patients, he said.

Public Health Director (in-charge), Dr Gunurani Pattanayak said all steps are being taken to bring the situation under control. She said the disease is on the rise due to lack of awareness.