Most dengue patients in state have carried it from Bangalore!

Cuttack: While the spread of dengue to other districts of Odisha has triggered panic among the people, a senior doctor at the SCB Medical College and Hospital today said most of those affected with the water borne disease are people from Odisha working in Bangalore and Pune, who have come to the state with dengue virus.

“We have come to know about this after interacting with the patients, most of whom have come from Bangalore,” Dr. Bhubanananda Maharana, Emergency Officer at the SCB Medical College and Hospital, told OTV today.

Talking about the situation in Odisha, Maharana said at present there are two areas—the mining area of Barbil and the Jagatpur Industrial Estate area in Cuttack—where the incidence of the disease is much higher compared to other areas in the state.

Giving details, he said till date, 54 patients have been admitted in the SCB Medical College of which 31 are male patients and 23 female. Besides, two patients from Cuttack and a patient of Barbil have been admitted in the ICU.

In the last 12 hours, 12 patients have been admitted while 10 have been discharged. Of the 54 patients, 22 are from Cuttack district, 13 from Keonjhar, five each from Bhadrak and Jajpur, four from Jagatsinghpur, three from Khurda, and one each from Balasore and Angul districts.

Except the three patients who have been admitted in the ICU, the condition of the rest is stable, Dr Maharana said.

He said 158 blood samples were tested till yesterday of which 48 had tested positive. Of the 48 patients who tested positive, 23 are from Cuttack, 15 from Keonjhar, three from Jajpur, two from Kendrapara, and one patient each from Jagatsinghpur, Mayurbhanj, Khurda and Puri districts.

“Overall 1408 blood samples have been tested at the Medical College this year of which 231 have tested positive. Of the 231 patients, 86 are from Cuttack, 44 from Keonjhar, 26 from Bhadrak, 19 from Jajpur and 16 from Kendrapara district,” Maharana informed.

Asked what steps the Medical College is going to take if the number of patients goes up, he said there are 90 beds in the Dengue ward at present. “We are planning to increase it to 200 if necessary as per the directive of the state government,” he added.

Meanwhile, the number of dengue patients is on the rise in Barbil in Keonjhar district.

Reports said out of the 1246 blood samples, 434 have been tested positive.