The city has seen 322 suspected cases and 10 confirmed cases dengue since January this year, with six confirmed cases reported in May. “These are only the initial stages and we expect these numbers to rise only in the coming month,” said Shivakumar, nodal officer, communicable diseases, BBMP.
Fewer people, however, have contracted the vector-borne disease this year when compared to the same period last year. In May 2015, there were 48 confirmed cases of dengue in Bengaluru alone, said Naveen Kumar, in-charge of Vector Borne Disease Control, BBMP. The spike in 2015 was likely owing to the heavy showers the city faced in April.
“There are not many cases of dengue fever. The number is lesser than it was this period last year,” said Virender Gowda, HOD (Medical), Victoria Hospital. The numbers may rise once there is more rain and water collects, leading to breeding of mosquitoes, he added.
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Garbage management is going to turn all the more crucial this season, with the need to prevent public health risks from spreading across the city. The BBMP is intensifying fogging and other anti-larvae measures, especially in areas with empty plots of land. Though Sarfaraz Khan, Joint Commissioner, SWM and health, said top priority was to clear black spots on the streets, the civic body is yet to collate data on black spots in the city. The civic body began a survey of the black spots only on Tuesday and the results will be known only by weekend.
Keeping a check
Prevent water stagnation
Keep mosquitoes away
Clean drains regularly