While the city saw a significant dip in the number of deaths this year, there was a spurt in the number of positive cases in October. But doctors attributed this increase to more people turning up at diagnostic centres for testing due to greater awareness
LUCKNOW Overall, the city was able to check the spread of dengue to a large extent this year due to more testing and awareness among people about the vector-borne disease. As many as 135 testing centres were set up in Lucknow compared to last year’s 83, said chief medical officer (Lucknow) Dr Manoj Agrawal.
While the city saw a significant dip in the number of deaths this year, there was a spurt in the number of positive cases in October. But doctors attributed this increase to more people turning up at diagnostic centres for testing due to greater awareness. “Early testing leads to early diagnosis and treatment,” said Dr KK Singh, faculty of general surgery at King George’s Medical University (KGMU).
According to the CMO, the number of cases in October went up by about 5% compared to last year, but the total number recorded in the entire year was significantly less. “Last year, we saw around 2,700 positive cases. And data reveals that the total number so far this year currently stands at 2024,” he said.
“The dengue season will start dying down, hopefully before Diwali. In the last 24 hours, Lucknow has recorded 14 new cases of dengue,” he added.
“The high number of tests can also be seen as an improvement, as it proves that more citizens are getting tested as soon as they see the symptoms,” said Dr KK Singh. “Earlier, we had people coming in at a stage when their symptoms were already severe. With more people getting tested, diagnosed and treated, deaths due to vector-borne diseases can be prevented,” he added.
Only one dengue death was recorded since January 2024 compared to four each in 2022 and 2023 in Lucknow, revealed data from the CMO’s office. This first and only death was reported from Balrampur Hospital here on October 19. The patient was an 84-year-old woman who had been admitted to the hospital for 3 to 4 days. “She already had a severely compromised immune system,” informed Dr NB Singh, chief medical superintendent at the hospital.