Effect of dengue minimal in northeast India: Experts

Though the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which causes dengue, is found in abundance in the northeastern states, the deaths due to the disease are fortunately very minimal in the region, experts said here on Tuesday.

"During a recent official survey, it was found that in the urban and semi-urban areas of the northeastern states, the Aedes aegypti mosquito was found in abundant. However, the toll due to dengue is negligible in the northeastern states," Tripura health department official Pranab Chatterjee told reporters here.

He said: "Due to people's alertness and health personnel's seriousness, the death due to dengue is insignificant in the northeastern region."

In the presence of Tripura Health Minister Badal Choudhury, Chatterjee said so far 15 people have been affected by dengue in the state, but none of them has died so far.

"Dengue is an infection disease caused by the mosquito, Aedes aegypti, which is the primary epidemic vector. Dengue infection may occur in the form of classical dengue fever or dengue haemorrhagic fever with bleeding manifestations or with or without shock (decreased blood pressure), and then the patient might expire in that situation," he added.

To check the Japanese Encephalitis (JE) in Tripura, last year the state government with the advice of the union health and family welfare ministry targeted to administer JE vaccine to 513,800 children up to the age of 15 years. But due to negative campaign by a section of media, only 226,500 JE vaccines could be given, the health minister said.

The minister said last year around 51,300 people, mostly children, fell ill to malaria and of them around 100 people died. This year so far, 22,562 people have suffered from malaria and 16 people have succumbed to the disease.