Dengue Grips Bhubaneswar, Capital Hospital Admits Patients More Than Double Its Capacity

Bhubaneswar: How severe is the dengue menace in Odisha’s capital?

A visit to the Capital Hospital gives you an idea. The hospital has been overloaded with dengue patients as cases rise rapidly in Bhubaneswar.

According to sources, nearly 35 dengue patients are currently undergoing treatment at the hospital, which has only 15 beds for such patients, which means the number of patients admitted is more than double its capacity.

Around 30 to 40 people with dengue symptoms are visiting the hospital daily, the sources added.

“In most cases, the infection is mild and patients are being discharged in three to four days of being admitted,” hospital director Laxmidhar Sahoo told TNIE.

Hospital officials, however, said the recent surge in cases has led to a rise in demand for platelets.

The number of dengue cases in the state capital has crossed the 2,000-mark. However, active cases remained around 1,900 till September 15.

“From around 50 to 60 cases per day, it has now increased to around 100. Niladri Vihar, Nayapalli and Chandrasekharpur are among the worst-affected,” an official said.

Around 189 cases were reported from Nayapalli till Thursday. The number was 50 in Chandrasekharpur. Over 300 cases have been reported from Niladri Vihar.

Damana, BDA Colony, Sailashree Vihar, Rasulgarh, Laxmisagar and Unit-VI are also among the affected areas.

“ASHA workers, BMC’s ‘Swachh Sathis’ and health teams are engaged in drives to check the spread of the disease and spread awareness across the city. The number of dengue volunteers has been increased to 40,” additional district urban public health officer Antaryami Mishra said.