Gujarat seeing vector-borne diseases, viral infections spike

Seasonal cases are on the rise this year as compared to last year, said Manoj Agarwal, the state's principal secretary, health, in a telephone conversation with ETV Bharat. Last year, people used to avoid leaving the house due to fear of Corona, but now people are moving freely when the second wave has calmed down. The crowds at tourist destinations leading to spike in various cases.

Gandhinagar (Gujarat):The state has witnessed a number of cases of viral infections during the monsoon season. A total of 2,451 cases of malaria, 1,616 cases of dengue and 687 cases of chicken pox were reported in all the districts in August, which is more than last year. With the rise of seasonal flu, the state government's health department has also become vigilant.

Seasonal cases are on the rise this year as compared to last year, said Manoj Agarwal, the state's principal secretary, health, in a telephone conversation with ETV Bharat. Last year, people used to avoid leaving the house due to fear of Corona, but now people are moving freely when the second wave has calmed down. The crowds at tourist destinations leading to spike in various cases.

Cases of dengue, chikungunya and malaria have been reported in corporations like Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Surat, Vadodara. In this regard, the state's Principle Secretary Manoj Agarwal told ETV Bharat that there has been an increase in viral and bacterial infections in the state which has led to blood tests of 80, 73, 000 people in the state. Work is being done to eradicate the disease by testing the blood of about 12% of the population.

According to sources, 4,963 samples from major districts of the country were collected and sent to the National Institute of Technology lab. In these samples, out of 27 cases of co-infection of Chikungunya and Dengue, three patients were found from Gujarat. Out of these 4,963 samples 1,989 patients were dengue virus positive and 150 people were chikungunya positive.

Ahmedabad, a megacity in Gujarat, reported 123 cases of simple malaria and nine cases of viral malaria in August. The highest number of 130 cases of dengue and 67 cases of chicken pox have been reported. Thus, a total of 329 cases of mosquito-borne disease have been reported in the current month. These figures are recorded in the books of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation. The number of patients treated in private clinics or hospitals is not mentioned.

Considering the way these diseases are spreading in the state, the state health department has deployed a total of 580 health teams in different corporation areas, district areas and taluka areas of the state to control viral diseases. The disinfectant is also being sprayed in 443 rural areas in the state where the epidemic is most prevalent. The state health department is keeping a close eye on the areas where the epidemic is on the rise, as cases of malaria, dengue and chicken pox are on the rise during the current monsoon season.

More than one million disinfectants have also been sprayed to prevent an increase in viral and bacterial infections. In the days to come, the state health department is keeping a close watch on all the operations in the area, including blood tests, to ensure that the epidemic does not escalate.

In Surat city, different operations are being carried out by the Municipal Corporation to tackle the situation. Around 67 cases were seen in Surat city in July 2020 and 53 cases in August 2020. This year 140 cases have been reported in the city in July 2021, 97 cases in August. The impact of these vector-borne disease in the city in 2021 has been seen to be greater this year compared to previous year.

Chikungunya and dengue cases have increased in Rajkot. "There have been 38 cases of dengue and nine cases of chikungunya this year," said Vaishaliben, Rajkot corporation health department official and biologist, told ETV Bharat.

The cases are from January to September. From January to December last year, 62 cases of dengue and 19 cases of Chikungunya were reported. This case is less compared to the current year. Apart from this, cases of common fever, cold, cough and diarrhea and vomiting have also increased in Rajkot. The epidemic is being reported due to the on going monsoon season.

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