Kendrapara: The Elisa equipment, by which dengue can be diagnosed by isolation of the virus through serological tests, is lying idle at the district headquarters hospital here at a time when the number of people in the locality affected by the disease has crossed 146.

A couple of riverside villages in Aul and Mahakalpada tehsil account for the majority of positive cases, prompting health officials to step up preventive measures.

But, they are unable to timely diagnose the positive cases as the sole Elisa equipment has remained defunct for past two months.

The blood samples of suspected dengue cases are now being dispatched to the microbiology department of SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack for confirmatory tests.

As a result, the disease detection process and treatment are getting delayed. Patients are supposed to get dengue test reports within 10 to 12 hours, which is now taking up to 48 hours.

"We have written to the higher authorities and are waiting for their assistance," said district malaria officer Sushant Kumar Das.

However, he felt that the dengue outbreak situation in the area was not alarming.

"So far, 146 dengue positive cases have been diagnosed in the district. Things are under control with the health department initiating measures to clean the surroundings and maintain hygiene at the villages. Besides, fogging has been intensified in the affected areas. We hope the situation will improve soon," said Das.

The outbreak of the vector-borne disease has mainly been reported at Patalipanka village under Mahakalpada tehsil with 33 dengue positive cases from there only, while Gobindpur village in Aul tehsil has accounted for 12 positive cases. No casualty has been reported so far.

"Female mosquitoes, mainly of the aedes aegypti species, transmit dengue v

irus, and it breeds in stagnant water. The affected villages are replete with stagnant water sources. The health department has begun creating awareness, asking the people to keep the surroundings clean and free from stagnant water sources. The panchayati raj representatives have also joined the campaign," he said.