The number of dengue cases being recorded in the city have consistently been over 50 for the last fortnight, with the rare day in between when the number drops lower. This, despite city doctors saying that come Diwali, dengue cases in the state capital will start seeing a steady decline.
While the dengue wards in the government hospitals are still packed, the number of tests being done on a daily basis has gone down, reports Lok Bandhu Hospital as well as Balrampur Hospital here. Simultaneously, the chief medical officer’s team is releasing numbers showing no signs of decline. Since last Sunday (October 20), almost every day has seen positive dengue cases in excess of 50. Accounting for the weekend and the last 24 hours, Lucknow has recorded 67, 59 and 35 cases on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, respectively.
The total number of cases recorded in the state capital since January 2024 stands at 1,858, with the most active cases coming from Indira Nagar and Aliganj.
At Lok Bandhu Hospital, director, Dr Suresh Kaushal said, “Our dengue ward is still fully occupied with 20 to 22 patients admitted currently.
Balrampur Hospital chief medical superintendent Dr NB Singh also said that while the dengue ward is still full, “we are having fewer patients coming in than before – at least 50% fewer now,” he said.
According to the chief medical officer, Dr Manoj Agarwal, in 2023, the final tally for the whole year was close to 2,700 cases. “It is quite evident that this year the number will not climb that high,” he assured. “Although the dengue may take a few days more than expected to recede – it is a fact that the rate of testing this time was much higher, therefore, more timely diagnosis and treatment was possible,” he said.
With 135 testing centres in the city this year, dengue testing was accessible to far more people. Doctors are of the opinion that a noticeable drop in daily active dengue cases will be seen during or following the first week of November.
