Dengue alert in Bihar

Written By: IANS | Published : August 24, 2013 4:47 PM IST

The Bihar government issued a dengue alert on Friday after over a dozen people were affected by the disease in Rohtas district, officials said.

Health officials have been directed to take preventive measures and provide proper treatment to dengue patients, said an official in the chief minister's office here.

A special dengue ward has been opened at the Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH), its superintendent Amarkant Jha Amar said.

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'Civil Surgeons of 10 districts have been invited here to chalk out a strategy to check and control the spread of dengue in the state,' he said.

He said 14 people have been admitted to PMCH on Thursday night with dengue fever.

Pravesh Paswan, a district health official in Rohtas, said the situation was alarming.

Dengue cases have also been reported from Gaya, Nalanda, Patna, Buxar and Vaishali districts, a health official said.

What is dengue?

Dengue fever is a communicable disease and its symptoms include high fever for four to five days, usually accompanied by severe headache, pain in eyes, muscles and joints besides rashes. After the fever goes away, blood platelet count starts dipping. This is the most dangerous phase of the disease.

How to prevent dengue?

Here are a few simple and practical tips to keep dengue at bay:

Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are known to bite humans during the day and their most common breeding grounds are man made containers. Therefore, it is advisable to not have any stagnant water around. Remember to clean out empty flower pots and not to over water potted plants. If the container that contains water cannot be emptied, remember to cover it well when not in use.
A natural method to keep mosquitos at bay is to plant tulsi near your window. The plant has properties that do not allow mosquitoes to breed.
Using camphor as a repellant also works wonders. Light camphor in a room and close all the doors and windows. Leave it this way for about fifteen to twenty minutes to have a mosquito free environment.

Source: IANS

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