Written By: Nirmalya Dutta | Updated : May 26, 2013 1:07 PM IST
Shocked by a recent spate of dengue fever-related deaths, villagers in Karnataka s D Salundi village in Mysore Taluk believe that lifespan of the village is over and hence the maari (evil) has entered the village. The only solution they believe is redrawing the boundaries of the village by erecting new marker stones.
If people really want to renew the life of the village, they should fix a new boundary as dictated by the village deity Siddappaji, said Shivanna, a villager. The village priest claims to have been possessed by Siddappaji s spirit which told the villagers about these facts . But, considering the deep faith of the villagers, we should follow the words of the Siddappaji, he said.
Meanwhile the Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Department and the Bruhat Bangalore Mahangara Palike have intensified their larva-combating and source reduction activities across the state. Health Director Dr Dhanya Kumar said, A large number of cases are being reported from Davangere, Belgaum, Haveri, Bellary, Dakshina Kannada, Mysore, Udupi and Bangalore. Of the 2,289 suspected cases reported so far, 1,833 were tested since January and 506 have proved positive. Of the four deaths reported at a village near Mysore, two were confirmed cases of dengue while tests will confirm the cause of death in the other two cases . He added the District Health Officers and field-level workers like the Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) are carrying out house-to-house surveillance across the state and engaging residents in clearing stagnant water bodies that act as breeding grounds.
Dengue remains one of those diseases that seem to rear its ugly head every monsoon and affects people all over the country. Even cities like Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai has more than its share of dengue cases.
So what is dengue?
It is a tropical disease which is transmitted by mosquitoes and the common symptoms includes. It is usually transmitted by mosquitoes and the common symptoms include fever, headache, muscle and joint pains and skin rash. There is no vaccine for dengue and the only way to reduce infections is to improve hygiene levels so as to prevent mosquito-bites and prevent mosquitoes from breeding. It s particularly difficult to create a vaccine because it s caused by different viruses and there are no animal models available for testing. The disease kills over five thousand Indians every year and is a seasonal threat, particularly during the monsoon seasons.
So what are the symptoms of dengue?
Characterized by severe flu-like symptoms, dengue affects infants, children and adults alike and could be fatal. The clinical manifestations of dengue vary with the age of the patient. A person suffering from high fever in the range of 40 C/ 104 F, accompanied by any two of the following symptoms could be suffering from dengue:
Symptoms usually last for 2-7 days. Dengue could progress to severe dengue, a potentially fatal complication, causing leaking of plasma, fluid accumulation, respiratory distress, severe bleeding and organ impairment.
