Manipur records 3 dengue deaths, surge in cases

Imphal: There seems to be no respite from the spike in cases of dengue fever, especially in the urban areas, as Manipur reported three deaths and 1,439 cases between January and October 9 this year, state health department officials said.

Imphal West and Imphal East districts were the worst-affected with 700 cases of the vector-borne disease being registered in Imphal East alone.

These figures have come to the knowledge of the state malaria department officials as the cases have been registered at the government-run Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) and Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) hospitals. 

Moreover, registration of dengue cases in private hospitals of the three valley districts - Bishnupur, Thoubal and Kakching - have also been reported during the period.

However, there has been no report of dengue cases in the hill districts, malaria officer of Imphal East district T Nepolian told media persons.

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All the three dengue-related deaths have been recorded in the urban areas.

To prevent the spread of the dengue, the state malaria department has been carrying out regular fogging in over 60 places of the urban areas, including Keishamthong, Keishampat, Sega Road, Haobam Marak, Lalambung, Uripok, Lamphel, Thangmeiband, Khurai Telipati and Bamon Leikai.

Meanwhile, the state health officials have appealed to the people to work together in the efforts to fight against the fatal disease and eliminate the mosquito-breeding sites.

Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral disease occurring in tropical and subtropical areas.

Those who become infected with the virus a second time are at a significantly greater risk of developing severe disease.

Symptoms include high fever, headache, rash and muscle and joint pain.

In severe cases, there is serious bleeding and shock, which can be life threatening.