Odisha: 40 sentinel locations set up to monitor dengue cases

The Health Department has designated 40 sentinel locations in Odisha to monitor the spread of the vector-borne disease in response to the state’s increasing dengue cases, officials announced on Thursday.
The state has reported 2,663 dengue cases to date, according to an official statement from the health department, and the state and district health authorities in question have been urged to activate the necessary measures to stop the spread of the disease.
The department also gave the relevant authorities instructions to educate the public about the vector-borne illness during the current monsoon season.
Earlier, Bhubaneswar, the state capital, reported a dramatic increase in dengue cases, with as many as 15–20 cases of the vector-borne illness being treated at the Capital Hospital.
As many as 70-80 of the 700 samples tested every day return positive for the vector-borne ailment, officials said.
Earlier, speaking to ANI on Tuesday, the director of Capital Hospital, Laxmidhar Sahoo, said, “We currently have 65 dengue patients at the hospital. Normally, we reserve 10-15 beds for dengue patients every year. This year, however, we have been receiving a large number of patients battling dengue.”
“Every day, we test about 700 samples, of which 70-80 return positive for dengue. We have been receiving anywhere between 15 and 20 dengue patients at the Capital Hospital every day,” Sahoo told ANI on Tuesday.
Conceding that a large of patients have put pressure on the hospital’s existing infrastructure to treat such cases, he added, “We have asked the state government to increase beds and depute three lab technicians for testing samples.”