Bhubaneswar: The state government seems to have failed in controlling the alarming spread of dengue despite the rising number of deaths caused by the vector-borne disease.
The official figure of dengue deaths across the state till Friday was five. If sources are to be believed, four deaths have been reported from Saliasahi area of the capital this season. The government has reportedly excluded the figure from the report.
Though dengue has spread its tentacles to several districts this year, the Health Department is not treating the issue seriously, it is alleged. Out of 20,400 blood samples collected till November 10 this year, 3,649 were tested dengue positive. While Balasore tops the list of dengue-affected districts, Bhadrak is second with 498 and Cuttack is third with 410 patients.
Similarly, Jajpur has 349, Kendrapara 189, Khurda 159, Puri 101, Jagatsinghpur 188, Ganjam 108, Keonjhar 74, Dhenkanal 46, Mayurbhanj 43, Nayagarh 23, Bargarh 20, Sundargarh 16, Angul 15, Bolangir 13, Gajapati 10, Sambalpur 10, Sonepur 7, Rayagada 6, Kalahandi 6, Nuapada 4, Koraput 4, Deogarh 3, Malkangiri 3, Nabarangpur 2, Boudh 2 and Jharsuguda 1 dengue patients.
The number of people down with dengue from other states has been put at 67, said a Health Department report. While two patients died of the vector-borne disease in Balasore, one each died in Bhadrak and Keonjhar, said the government report, adding, one of the victims was from outside the state.
However, reports claim that four deaths – Dinabandhu Khilar, Manupreet Digal, Manjari Digal and Anand Digal – had occurred at Saliasahi here alone which did not find place in the government report.
According to sources, the government report includes deaths reported from government hospitals only. It does not take into account deaths in private hospitals.
The grapevine has it that since the government has failed to control the dengue menace, it is not publishing the facts.
Notably, till November 10, 2016 the total number of dengue patients stood at 8,089 while 11 people had died due to the deadly fever. Cuttack district was the worst hit with five deaths and 3,174 people affected. PNN
