Bengaluru: No let-up in the rain in and around the city over the last few days and puddles of stagnant water have led to a spurt in dengue cases across the city. But the BBMP has failed miserably to curb the menace. It has admitted that there is a jump of nearly 1,000 cases from last month and the total number of cases has crossed 5,000.
As per BBMP data, the city has reported 5,224 cases, of which action has been taken against 4,322 cases, while 907 cases are still pending in the core and outer zones of the BBMP. The core zone includes East, South and West of Bengaluru, while the outer zone includes Mahadevapura, Bommanahalli, RR Nagar, Yelahanka and Dasarahalli.
The highest increase was seen in the first week of July when 641 cases were reported. Between July 29 and August 4, 618 cases were registered. From 140 cases in April, it has gone up to over 5,000 now.
BBMP Chief Health Officer (public health) Dr B.K. Vijendra said, “Even after the patients are treated, they will have a ‘carrier period’ when the virus still exists in their bodies. We have taken all precautions in high-prevalence areas and seen a drop in the rate of cases being reported. The infection takes about 2 to 3 months to peak, and 15 days for preventive measures to show results. We expect the numbers to drop by next week.”
Private hospitals too are reporting a large number of positive cases. Aster CMI Hospital registered 526 cases since April. Columbia Asia Hospital, Whitefield, has reported 1,500 cases since January.
