At least 4,203 dengue cases in Maharashtra this year, over 1,000 in Pune

Pune: The number of dengue cases in Pune this year has reached 1,122 while 661 cases of chikungunya have also been confirmed. A report from the insect control department of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has revealed that of the 1,122 dengue cases, the maximum number of patients fell ill in October. Of the suspected 4,274 cases of dengue from January till October, 526 patients were diagnosed with dengue in October, while 252 patients were diagnosed with dengue in September. Of the 661 chikungunya patients, a total of 262 were diagnosed in October, stated a report from the insect control department.
Across the state, 4,203 dengue cases have been reported, and 18 people have died of the disease this year. Maharashtra has also seen 742 cases of chikungunya, and 80 per cent of them are from Pune circle, said Dr B S Kamble, assistant director of health, Maharashtra.
According to Dr Kalpana Baliwant, in-charge of the insect control department, at least 100 dengue patients in the city were from outside Pune. However, she admitted that the number of dengue patients was high and she has sent a letter to the Indian Medical Association, Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Society of India, Indian Academy of Paediatrics and other doctors’ associations to immediately report cases of dengue.
“There is still a delay in reporting/notifying each dengue case from the private sector. We have sent a letter to the associations and even threatened legal action if they fail to notify dengue cases,” said Baliwant. She added, “We have noted a trend where every three years, there is a spurt in the number of cases. This year, there are more than 1,000 patients, but the situation was similar in 2013”.

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