Pune: PMC Records 303 Dengue Cases Since January; Expert Warns Of Spike During Monsoon

Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) data shows that the city has made significant strides in controlling dengue, with only 303 cases of mosquito-borne viral infection registered so far this year.

As per the data, 96 cases of dengue were registered in January, 75 in February, 64 in March, 51 in April, and 17 in May so far. The data also revealed that civic health officials issued over 139 notices to builders and housing societies who failed to adhere to the guidelines and could not clear mosquito breeding sites, collecting fines of ₹46,300 from them.

As the monsoon is about to set in, PMC is gearing up to tackle outbreaks of vector-borne diseases. The civic body has issued advisories to housing societies and slum-dwellers to keep their surroundings clean and prevent mosquito breeding sites on their premises.

Suryakant Deokar, Assistant Health Officer, PMC, said, “We are conducting thorough inspections of possible breeding grounds like construction sites and residential areas. We are actively issuing notices to people who are flouting the norms. We are also taking other measures like fogging to prevent mosquitoes from breeding. Ahead of the monsoon, we have circulated advisories to control the spread of dengue, chikungunya, and malaria. So far, things are under control.”

Meanwhile, on the other hand, leading medical health expert Dr Avinash Bhondwe has stated that dengue cases are going to increase this year.

“Due to the rains, the number of patients with cold, fever, and cough has increased this year. Besides, there will be a large number of dengue cases. Already, we are receiving 2-3 cases of dengue every day. And the numbers are going to increase even further, especially during the peak season of dengue spread from August to October. The reason is the thousands of ongoing constructions and water shortage, which will lead to people storing water. Stagnant water is known to breed mosquitoes, particularly the Aedes aegypti, leading to infections.”

Symptoms of dengue fever include high fever, severe headache, pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pain, nausea, vomiting, swollen glands, and rash.