Chennai: The city has recorded nearly 200 dengue cases in two months and the number tends to rise as the dengue season on the top of the city in October-November.
Data shows children under the 15th most infected and tondious, apathur, teynampet, kodambakkam and adyar zone are dengue hotspots.
Of the 100-denge infected in August, 38 younger than 15 because 51 of the 96 cases reported in September.
This has never happened before because the city has seen 11 dengue fever outbreaks in the last 20 years, said S Selvakumar, Chief Vector Control Officer.
Data on cases of dengue fever from 1999 to 2019, was prepared as part of a research paper written by J Radhakrishnan Health Secretary and GCC vector control officers, showing Dengue cases usually started in July, after summer shower, and peak in October -November.
The case begins to swim in December when the rainfall of the northeast, usually heavy, running eggs, larvae from breeding places.
Data also showed the highest number of cases reported in 2001 – 736, followed in 20016 in 2002 and around 500 in 2003, 2004 and 2005.
There was a decline before going up again in 2017, 2018 and 2019 when 408, 636 and 618 cases were reported .
This study entitled ‘Dengue in Chennai – A retrospective study’ includes data only from sentinel surveillance hospitals – networks made to monitor the level of occurrence of certain diseases.
Complaints of mosquitoes to the Helpline Corporation 1913 also rose to 306 in the last two weeks from 266 in the previous two weeks.
This even though the civil body intensified fogging.
Vector control experts say fewer cases last year due to locking.
“Aedes mosquito breed in fresh water and the recent GCC reviews show that the most common source for its larvae is a water tank, drum storage, pots and terraces,” said Selvakumar.
When asked about the reason for a surge in cases, a senior official said that in addition to intermittent rain, the Domestic Breeding Examiner (DBCS) who went home-to-house busy with vaccination drivers and other Covid jobs.
“The city has 3,621 DBC and each must check at least 80 houses every day.
Because they go to the same house for Covid’s work, many skip the check of dengue fever or do not report the actual data,” the official said.
If it turns into an epidemic this year, it will be a double burden on the Civic body which also deals with Covid-19.
The problem is that some symptoms such as fever often occur in Dengue and Covid, said Manish Narnawane, Deputy Commissioner, Health.
“People must remember that dengue fever usually causes severe pain in the joints and may be bleeding if not treated on time,” he said.