Agartala: Malaria and dengue outbreaks are putting a strain on the healthcare system in Tripura, with cases rising rapidly in some parts of the state. One person has died from malaria so far, according to a state health department official.
On condition of anonymity, the official said that state health department has launched massive awareness campaigns in areas affected by malaria and dengue to prevent the spread of the disease. Malaria is a common disease in Tripura, but dengue is a new addition this year.
Experts attribute the rise in dengue cases to the outbreak of the disease in neighboring Bangladesh, which shares borders with Tripura on three sides. Every day, thousands of Bangladeshi travelers enter Tripura through land ports, which could be a contributing factor to the spread of the disease.
Tracing of symptomatic patients began at the international entry points last month. Dhanpur assembly constituency under Sepahijala district recorded as the worst-hit areas while areas like Mohanpur in West Tripura and Bsihalgarh have reported fresh cases.
According to a data provided by the Tripura Health and Family Welfare Department, the total number of confirmed dengue cases in the state stands at 556 comprising 362 cases from Sepahijala, 163 cases in West Tripura and 29 cases in Unakoti district. All these districts have cross-border transactions with Bangladesh.
However, the health department also categorized 1,093 patients as suspected cases as they were detected positive during the antigen test. The antigen test samples were later verified through ELISA test for final confirmation.
As for suspected cases, West Tripura leads with 609 while Sepahijala with 417 cases. So far, no deaths were reported due to the virus, an official added.
On August 11, 69 new Dengue cases were detected in the state. “A special unit has been started at the GBP hospital Agartala where Dengue patients are receiving treatment. Many patients have been discharged after getting cured so far”, the official added.
However, there was no data on how many active patients were in the state as of this writing. A total of 4,693 people tested positive for dengue.
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Meanwhile, the Malaria cases alarmingly increased. The cumulative caseload of the state this year stand at 14,717 for 6,08,717 tests. Dhalai district which is considered as one of the Malaria prone zones of the state reported 9,846 cases in total. South Tripura District with 1,963 cases and Gomati District with 926 cases secured the third and fourth slot respectively. On August 11, 49 new Malaria cases were detected.
“To prevent Malaria, the health department teams are working overnight. Several health camps have been conducted in different parts of the state, especially, in the far-flung hilly areas. Insecticide treated nets are also being distributed in large numbers among the villagers so that they could be protected from the disease carrying mosquitoes”, the official informed EastMojo.
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