Altogether 38 confirmed cases of dengue have been reported from Bhagalpur in the past five days, prompting the state government to send a medical team to the district to take stock of the situation.

“Sultanganj is the epicentre of the disease and 17 cases have so far been reported from the town. Till Sunday, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and Hospital (JNMCH) has received several patients from Sultanganj. Seventeen of them tested positive,” Bhagalpur civil surgeon U.S. Choudhary said.

Two confirmed cases were reported from Bhagalpur town and three from Banka. Sources said the rest of the patients were mostly from villages on the outskirts of Bhagalpur town.

“The outbreak of dengue was first reported at Sultanganj referral hospital with the confirmation of three cases last week,” a source said.

Sultanganj is located around 28km west of Bhagalpur town and 195km from the state capital.

The government has asked the district administration to take immediate measures to prevent further spread of the disease and keep stocks of medicines ready. A two-member medical team — comprising state programme officer C. Narayan and assistant director (kala azar) B. Prasad — has reached Bhagalpur from Patna to oversee treatment of the patients admitted to the JNMCH and the Sultanganj referral hospital following health minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey’s instruction.

They also met district health officials to find out the preparedness to prevent further spread of the disease.

“The two hospitals have all facilities to diagnose and treat dengue patients,” Choubey said. The minister added that he had instructed hospital authorities to take additional care of the dengue patients.

In Patna, additional health secretary R.P. Ojha said: “Patna Medical College and Hospital has received four suspected dengue cases in the last two days. Of them, one is from Samastipur and another from Sitamarhi. We are awaiting reports of Elisa test to confirm if they are suffering from dengue.” He added: “All blood banks in the state have been asked to keep stocks ready.”

JNMCH superintendent Binod Kumar said the authorities were alert following the outbreak of dengue.

Safeguards

Keep body covered from dawn to dusk, as vector Aedes aegypti bites during the day only
Wear long-sleeved shirts and trousers
Use mosquito nets, coils and repellents
Don’t let water accumulate in open spaces such as barrels, buckets, flower vases,
pots and cisterns
Regularly clean basins, sinks, kitchen drains and other damp places
in house
Use screens on doors and windows