Malkangiri: Dengue has been spreading in six blocks of Malkangiri district for the last few months. Reports said 23 people have tested positive for dengue in Malkangiri municipality amid awareness drives against the disease in Chitrakonda area and Balimela NAC area. Health officials have detected dengue patients in six blocks of the district.
However, dengue awareness drive is not being conducted in Malkangiri municipality. Chitrakonda area has reported 63 cases of dengue while 17 people were down with dengue in Balimela NAC. Now, three dengue patients are under treatment at Pandripani CHC; 11 at Korukunda CHC; five at Balimela CHC; two at Mathili CHC; seven at Kudukuluguma CHC and three at the district headquarters hospital. According to sources in the Health Department, blood samples of 1,620 suspected cases had been collected and tested. Deputy Director of National Centre for vector-borne disease control, Dr Dhaneswar Mohapatra said that special medical teams have been pressed into service in all the affected areas. ASHAs, anganwadi workers, SHG members and health workers have been visiting houses to make people aware of the winged menace. People are being advised to keep their surroundings clean to ward of mosquitoes, he added.
