Spurt in dengue cases in Hyderabad

The cases of dengue have shot up in Hyderabad city over the past few weeks, with at least 135 people being diagnosed with the vector-borne disease this year so far.

Speaking to ANI, a medical practitioner working at Osmania General Hospital said that around 336 more people are suspected to have fallen prey to this disease. "As many as 135 people have tested positive with the mosquito borne virus out of 471 cases which are suspected as dengue cases in the month of October," he said.

"No deaths have been reported so far because of dengue," he added.

People in the state have been advised to keep their surroundings clean and avoid the accumulation of water indoors and outdoors.

Not only dengue, the city is also reeling under swine flu. In September, as many as 50 people were detected with swine flu. Notably, there are only two centers for testing swine flu samples in Telangana, namely, Fever Hospital and Institute of Preventive Medicine (IPM).

Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral disease that has rapidly spread in all regions of the country. Dengue virus is transmitted by female mosquitoes, mainly by aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Dengue is widespread throughout the tropics, with local variations in risk influenced by rainfall, temperature and unplanned rapid urbanization.