There may not be a dengue outbreak this year but the public should still make sure mosquito breeding sources are in check, says Greater Chennai Corporation commissioner Gagandeep Singh Bedi. In an interaction with TOI, he says GCC has intensified prevention measures ahead of the ‘dengue season’.Some excerpts:
Around 200 dengue cases have been reported in the past two months. Will there be an outbreak?
It is not an outbreak year because the number of cases is lower than 2018, 2019. An outbreak occurs once every 4-5 years. We cannot compare it with figures from 2020 as movement was lesser due to lockdowns last year. Some dengue symptoms can be similar to Covid-19 and there may be overlapping of numbers reported too.
Why have dengue cases increased this year?
The increase is mainly due to intermittent rain. Studies have also shown that cases rise in September-October in Chennai due to the weather conditions.
How prepared is GCC to handle the dengue season, with Covid already lurking?
We have increased breeding checks and fogging. We have domestic breeding checkers (DBC) for dengue and fever surveillance workers for Covid. We are doing focussed fogging in the city’s dengue hotspots.
We also conduct two reviews every week to monitor dengue and Covid cases. People should also be more alert during monsoon, avoid storing water and make sure water-retaining items are not discarded around their houses. If people have a fever, please take one of the two tests and if one is negative take the other immediately.
If symptoms can be similar, how do people tell Covid and dengue apart?
Fever is a common symptom for both but dengue is accompanied by a breakbone fever — extreme pain in the joins and other bones. Take a Covid-19 test, if negative, get tested for dengue. Dengue also causes blood platelet count to reduce and it is a haemorrhagic fever where gums could begin bleeding if not treated on time, there’ll be rashes too.
