Guwahati, Sept. 3: The four blood collection centres set up by the Assam state health department are facilitating early diagnosis of dengue cases in Kamrup (metro) district.

Health officials said these centres — Capital State Dispensary in Dispur, first referral units at Dhirenpara and Pandu, and Urban Health Centre at Hatigarh — are receiving blood samples of suspected dengue patients from different areas of the district.

Till date, 192 people in the district have tested positive for dengue. Three people have died of the disease.

“The blood collection centres set up at four different places in the city are serving their purpose of facilitating the diagnosis process. People suffering from dengue-like symptoms are coming to these centres from different localities to give blood samples for medical tests. We received 30 blood samples in Hatigarh urban health centre alone today. These samples are sent from these centres to Gauhati Medical College and Hospital for the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test for confirmation of dengue fever,” the joint director of Kamrup (metro) health services, S. Choudhury, said.

“This is helping in the diagnosis process as more positive cases are coming to light. Early medical intervention always enhances the chances of recovery of a patient. At present, several patients are undergoing treatment at the GMCH as well as private hospitals in the city,” he added.

The health department claimed that fogging was being done in different areas to prevent breeding of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that transmit dengue virus through bites.

The affected areas include Hatigarh Chariali, Bhaskar Nagar, Zoo Road Tiniali, Kushal Nagar, Bamunimaidam and Noonmati.

“Our teams are carrying out fogging activities in the areas where dengue fever cases have been reported. The other areas are also being covered,” Choudhury said.

“Today, our health workers will conduct fogging at Rehabari. Eighteen vehicles and 36 fogging machines are being used for the purpose. Fogging is mostly conducted towards dusk as the process proves effective in killing mosquitoes when the day-time temperature goes down,” he added.

People are supposed to open doors and windows of their homes to let in the gas emitted through fogging machines.

But all edible items should be kept covered while fogging is being conducted in a locality.

Workers of the Guwahati Municipal Corporation are also spraying larvicide in open drains in the city to kill mosquito larvae.