Agartala, Correspondent: 12th August. Outbreaks of malaria and dengue are impacting healthcare delivery systems with new cases. Cases are i...
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Agartala, Correspondent: 12th August. Outbreaks of malaria and dengue are impacting healthcare delivery systems with new cases. Cases are increasing rapidly in the state, selected pockets. So far, one death due to malaria has been reported, a state health department official told reporters.
Requesting anonymity, the official said, extensive awareness campaigns have been conducted in disease-affected areas to prevent the disease. While malaria is an annual feature for the state. Dengue virus is a new addition this year. Experts have attributed the surge in dengue cases to the dreaded outbreak of the disease in neighboring Bangladesh, which shares a border with Tripura on three sides. Every day thousands of Bangladeshis enter Tripura through land port for various reasons.
Tracing of symptomatic patients also began last month at international entry points, but by then the virus had already spread to the community level. Dhanpur assembly constituency under Sepahijla district has been the worst affected while areas like Mohanpur and Bihalgarh in West Tripura have also started reporting flash cases.
According to a data from the Tripura Health and Family Welfare Department, the number of confirmed dengue cases in the state stands at 557 including 362 from Sepahijla, 163 from West Tripura and 29 from Unakoti district. Bangladesh has cross-border trade with all these districts.
However, the health department classified 1,122 patients as suspected cases because they were detected positive in antigen tests. Antigen test samples are later verified by ELISA test to get confirmed case status. In terms of number of suspected cases, West Tripura leads with 625 and Sepahizla with 427 cases. No death due to the virus has been reported so far, an official added.
29 new dengue cases have been reported in the state in the last 24 hours. "GBP Hospital Agartala has set up a special unit where dengue patients are undergoing treatment.
So far many patients have been discharged after being cured", the official addedHowever, he failed to say how many active patients there are in the state at this time. A total of 4,930 people have been tested for the dengue virus so far.
Meanwhile, the number of malaria is quite alarming. This year the state's cumulative caseload stands at 14,113 for 6,10,370 examinations. Dhalai district which is considered as one of the malaria prone areas of the state, reported a total of 9,859 cases. South Tripura district stood third and fourth with 1,998 cases and Gomti district with 938 cases respectively. 78 new malaria cases have been detected in the last 24 hours.
"To prevent malaria, health department teams are working overnight.A number of health camps have been set up in different parts of the state, particularly in remote hilly areas. Insecticide-treated nets are also being distributed in large numbers among the villagers to protect them from mosquito-borne diseases," the official saidThe health department has classified 1,122 patients as suspected because they tested positive in antigen tests. Antigen test samples are later verified by ELISA tests to get confirmed case status. In terms of number of suspected cases, West Tripura leads with 625 and Sepahizla has 427 cases. No death due to the virus has been reported so far, an official added.
