Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation fears spurt in dengue cases after extended rains

Extended monsoon seems to be bringing more problems for the administration. The health department of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) fears that mosquito breeding is very likely to see and uptick resulting in fresh cases of vector-borne diseases, especially dengue.

In September so far, AMC has recorded 811 cases of indoor patients of dengue, which is higher than 624 cases of malaria during the same period. The city also recorded 37 cases of malaria falciparum. In September 2018, AMC had recorded 899 cases of dengue, which rose to 1,234 in October. Health officials say there could be spurt in dengue cases this October as well. "Look at the weather. I have never witnessed regular rains during Navratri in my lifetime. Moreover, there are no inidication that rains would stop soon. There would be a spurt in dengue cases," said Bhavin Solanki, in-charge medical officer of health in AMC.

The 811 cases of dengue include cases where the patients are hospitalized and it does not include dengue cases, where patients are not hospitalised. Sources in private pathology labouratories say that of the blood sample tested for dengue, a majority of them are positive.