By IANS
Bhopal : Over two dozen people in Madhya Pradesh are suffering from dengue fever as the potentially fatal disease spread to Indore division after Jabalpur, health officials said.
“While three cases of Dengue were reported from Khargone district in Indore division last week, one Kishanlal of village Moosakhedi admitted to the MY Hospital, Indore, has also been found to be suffering from dengue,” a health department official said here.
Kishanlal’s two children, who were yet to be tested for dengue, too were suffering from high fever.
Khargone health officials, were, however reluctant to admit the prevalence of dengue in the district.
“Three persons belonging to the district are suspected to be suffering from dengue. Their blood samples have been sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, and anything could be said with authentication only after the detailed report is received,” said Khargone chief medical officer B. Bhanke.
Meanwhile, there was a panic-like situation in Jabalpur division, where 20 case of dengue have come to light in less than a month.
“Initially, the NIV tested 12 blood samples in Jabalpur where two deaths had occurred due to high fever. Of these, eight samples were found positive for dengue fever,” Jabalpur division chief medical and health officer J.L. Mishra told IANS.
The NIV Tuesday found 12 of the 57 blood samples from the town sent to it to be positive.
On the cause of the death of two patients, Mishra said the deaths were not due to dengue as suspected earlier. “The medical reports of the two persons who were suspected to have died of dengue did not confirm the death due to the virus,” he said.
He, however, said preventive measures were stepped up. “We’ve formed four teams of anganwadi workers in each ward for removing collected water to check spread of aides mosquitoes,” Mishra said.
“The outbreak is in one division and entire state need not panic. Preventive measures are on and situation would soon be normal,” said Health Department Director Kaushlesh Shukla adding that dengue can easily be cured with medicines available if patient turns up for treatment timely.
Dengue, or West Nile fever, is a mild viral illness transmitted by mosquitoes, which causes fever, rashes and muscle and joint aches. Its virus spreads by the bite of an infected aedes aegypti mosquito, that breeds in the post-monsoon stagnant waters.