Waterlogging Sparks Fear Of Dengue During Monsoon In Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar: With waterlogging reported from parts of Bhubaneswar after pre-monsoon rain on Thursday, the fear of spread of dengue looms large over the city.

According to reliable sources, the dengue cases in Odisha till date this year have gone up compared to that of the last year. While 129 persons have been affected by the disease this year, the total dengue cases were 122 during the same period last year.

Khurda district alone reported 57 dengue positive cases this year compared to 48 last year. Of these patients, maximum cases were from Bhubaneswar. Similarly, 10 dengue cases were detected in Jajpur and Balasore districts which had registered 0-1 case last year.

The health experts have raised concern over waterlogging in low-lying areas of Bhubaneswar during the monsoon. Since the dengue is spread by mosquitoes, they apprehended alarming spread of the disease, if the rainwater drainage system is not streamlined before the monsoon.

Normally the life span of these mosquitoes is 14 days. If steps are not taken to destroy the eggs of these mosquitoes in the low-lying areas of the city by July, the spread of dengue cannot be ruled out, they said.