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Over 2,000 dengue cases across Maharashtra so far this year, most from Kolhapur

With 479 cases, Kolhapur, major parts of which were submerged in the recent floods, has the highest number of such cases.

Over 2,000 dengue cases across Maharashtra so far this year, most from Kolhapur Health officials who visited the flood-affected areas said three primary health centres — at Narsinhwadi, Kurundwad and Ghatwad — were submerged during the floods but the situation has improved since then.

As many as 2,060 people across Maharashtra have been infected with dengue fever since January, said state surveillance officer Dr Pradeep Awate on Tuesday. With 479 cases, Kolhapur, major parts of which were submerged in the recent floods, has the highest number of such cases.

Kolhapur has also reported two deaths due to dengue fever this year.

Health authorities are keeping an eye on the flood-affected areas of the district, which has also seen 313 cases of dengue from rural areas and 166 in the city since January this year, said Dr Awate.

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Dr Nitin Bilolikar, deputy director of health services, Pune region, said a total of 370 villages in Kolhapur and 91 villages in Sangli had been hit by the floods. Over 230 rescue camps were set up at Kolhapur and 185 at Sangli, but they were gradually being shut, as the flood-affected return home.

“We have stepped up door-to-door fever surveillance and surveyed three lakh people in Kolhapur. There were 6,100 fever cases. Currently, there is no outbreak of communicable diseases,” said Dr Bilolikar.

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Health officials who visited the flood-affected areas said three primary health centres — at Narsinhwadi, Kurundwad and Ghatwad — were submerged during the floods but the situation has improved since then.

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has reported 221 cases of dengue fever and 119 chikungunya cases since January. To raise awareness about these diseases, the PMC’s health department has sent 1,470 warning notices to housing societies and commercial complexes over mosquito breeding sites in their premises.

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Dr Sanjeev Wavare, assistant medical officer of health, PMC, told The Indian Express that of the 221 cases this year, 174 have been reported since the beginning of June.

At Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation, Additional Health and Medical Officer Dr Pavan Salve said from January till August 8, 394 samples of suspected dengue were tested and 57 turned out to be positive.”During and after the floods, we tested 96 samples in August, of which 18 were positive for dengue fever,” he said.

Surveillance is underway and guidelines are being issued at dispensaries and medical centres so that local residents could take precautionary measures and prevent the vector-borne diseases, said Dr Salve.

Meanwhile, in a statement issued on Tuesday, Father Malcolm Sequiera, Vicar General of the Poona diocese, said that a team under the leadership of Bishop of Poona Rt Rev Thomas Dabre visited the flood-affected areas of Sangli. He appealed to the community to donate towards flood relief efforts.

First uploaded on: 21-08-2019 at 03:36 IST
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