There is very much a possibility of dengue fever outbreak at Thangmeiband Assembly constituency if state health authorities leaves the situation unchecked.
It has been learnt from reliable sources that another 12 suspicious cases detected
earlier have tested positive today. The total number of infected persons now has increased to 15. Heath officials are keeping mum about the exact figure when queried.
Th Arun, 33, a hospitality sector worker was suffering from fever, joint pain and headache since September 25. After tell tale rashes started appearing on his body, his aunt who is a doctor told him to take a test for dengue. He tested positive on October 3. Members from Arun’s joint family were also examined and out of four, two members tested positive for dengue.
Medical personnel have fogged the area after the confirmation and samples collected from the periphery. Another 15 blood samples had been taken from the adjoining area yesterday. Some were of neighbours who were ailing before Arun started showing the symptoms. A reliable source confirmed today that out of the 15 individuals, 12 samples have tested positive. Three members from Arun’s family and another 12 from the neighbourhood put the affected number at 15 as of now.
Thangmeiband Lourungpurel Leikai has long had a problem of drainage and water scarcity. The mud filled drains are chocked and stagnant water accumulates which are now the prime breeding grounds for mosquitoes. Another problem is water scarcity, as the back lanes of this locality have no water pipe lines, locals buy water from tankers and store them wherever they can. An epidemiologist who had collected water samples from plastic tanks and drains from the Lourungpurel affected zone found larvae which carried the dengue virus.
Arun has recovered now and his family members are out of danger. He, however, lamented that due to poor awareness, his family bears the brunt of stigmatization. “Preventive measures should be carried out ahead and awareness should be given. Now health officials are working after the damage has already been done. I have been instructed to stay indoors until properly recovered as I still carry the virus and it can spread through mosquito bites.
Health officials have stated that the environment needs to be cleaned and there should be no stagnant water, the lids of plastic water tanks should also be kept shut as the mosquitoes carrying the virus lay eggs in clear water. It is also mentioned that the local clubs should co-operate with authorities concerned to clean the locality affected to make it dengue free.
Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne tropical disease caused by the dengue virus. Symptoms typically begin three to fourteen days after infection. This may include a high fever, headache, vomiting, muscle and joint pains, and a characteristic skin rash. Recovery generally takes less than two to seven days. In a small proportion of cases, the disease develops into the life-threatening dengue hemorrhagic fever, resulting in bleeding, low levels of blood platelets and blood plasma leakage, or into dengue shock syndrome, where dangerously low blood pressure occurs.
