Assam sees spurt in dengue cases, Dima Hasao worst hit

Guwahati: Assam is grappling with a significant increase in dengue cases, with more than 60% of the total 1,003 cases reported since the beginning of August.
Dima Hasao, a hill district, has recorded the highest number of cases at 360. In contrast, Karbi Anglong, another hill district, has experienced a remarkable reduction from 6,000 cases last year to only 50 this year, which health department officials attribute to possible herd immunity.The eastern zone of Greater Guwahati continues to face challenges with the surge in cases.

According to a senior health department official, the rise in dengue cases follows a decrease in Japanese Encephalitis (JE) cases. The official expressed concern about the worrying dengue situation in Dima Hasao and certain areas of Guwahati. “As Japanese Encephalitis cases started declining, we started a surge in dengue cases from July-August. The situation seems to be alarming, especially in Dima Hasao and to some extent in some areas of Guwahati,” the official told TOI on Tuesday.
From Jan 1 to Sept 23, Assam reported 1,003 dengue cases, compared to 5,959 cases during the same period last year. Although no dengue-related deaths have been reported this year, seven fatalities occurred last year. However, JE has proven to be more deadly, claiming 50 lives out of 627 reported cases this year before its spread subsided.
Officials stated that the dengue figures, although lower than the previous year, do not present a satisfactory situation.
Last year, Karbi Anglong alone accounted for nearly 6,000 of the state’s approximately 8,000 cases. “Karbi Anglong witnessed unusually high numbers last year. But if we leave apart Karbi Anglong, lot needs to be done to save other districts from dengue,” the senior health official added.
As of Monday, Dima Hasao has the highest number of dengue cases among the state’s districts, with 360 cases, followed by Jorhat with 73 cases, Kamrup (Metro) with 67 cases, Hojai with 56 cases, and Karbi Anglong with 50 cases.
In Guwahati, the densely populated areas in the eastern zone, such as Zoo Road Tiniali, Bhaskar Nagar, and Geetanagar, have been severely affected.
A team of senior health officials recently visited Dima Hasao and identified stagnant water in the hilly terrain as a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Measures have been initiated to eliminate these sources.
“Stagnant water even in the hilly terrain, in bamboo trees, has been a factor behind mosquito breeding and thus measures have been initiated to destroy the sources,” the official stated.
In Guwahati, the response includes fogging and deploying domestic breeding checkers to destroy mosquito breeding sources in households.