The Hindu : Karnataka News : People in this village believe dengue is sexually transmitted

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Wednesday, Jul 01, 2009
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Karnataka

Karnataka

People in this village believe dengue is sexually transmitted

Sudipto Mondal

A victim thinks health workers are trying to tarnish her image

MACHER (Dakshina Kannada): Many residents in this village, a majority of whom belong to the Naika Scheduled Tribe, believe that dengue is a sexually transmitted disease (STD).

A woman, who has been tested positive for dengue, told The Hindu that a few health workers were trying to “tarnish her character”.

While a few health workers attribute this misconception to the phonetics of the word “Dengue”, others blame it on “irresponsible rumour mongers”. But a few educated youth say that the district administration has failed to create public awareness about this mosquito-borne disease.

According to them, the male junior health assistants are responsible for creating public awareness about communicable diseases. But they are severely overworked. There are only five such assistants against the sanctioned 36 for the district, they point out.

According to official statistics, nine persons have tested positive for dengue in the village, making it the worst-affected region in Dakshina Kannada.

A random house-to-house visit revealed that several people have developed dengue-like symptoms. None of them have, however, visited the primary health centre. Most of them have ended the matter by visiting a drug store and consuming medicines suggested by the Chemist.

Such is the stigma now attached to the disease here that the people who have developed dengue symptoms are resisting the attempts of the health authorities at collecting blood samples for testing.There is confusion among the residents about the cause of the disease, the Aedes Aegypti mosquitoes. Health workers showed The Hindu several breeding spots in arecanut and rubber plantations here. The small puddles in areca leaves, rubber sap collection cups, and large urns where arecanuts are soaked, were all seen with Aedes Aegypti larvae.

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