24-05-2025
Dengue, Chikungunya cases drop in southern K'taka
Mysuru: As compared to previous years, dengue and Chikungunya cases came down drastically during the pre-monsoon season this year in the south Karnataka districts. This took the burden off the health department.
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Generally, the Old Mysuru and other southern districts record a large number of dengue and Chikungunya cases after a few spells of rain in April and May.
According to the health and family welfare department data, between Jan 1 and May 21, 2025, Mysuru district recorded 15 cases. A total of 359 blood samples were collected for analysis during this period. So far, the district recorded no dengue-related deaths.
Chamarajanagar (4), Mandya (9), Shivamogga (53), Hassan (12), Chikkamagaluru (10), and Kodagu district recorded just two cases of dengue fever during the period.
Last year, these districts recorded a large number of dengue cases. Between Jan 1 and May 20, Mysuru district had recorded 252 dengue cases. Similarly, Chamarajanagar (43), Mandya (125), Shivamogga (118), Hassan (125), Chikkamagaluru (116), and Kodagu district recorded 58 cases.
Last year, during the period, Mysuru district recorded 69 Chikungunya cases. However, this year it has come down to 38. Mysuru DHO PC Kumaraswamy attributed the multi-pronged strategy adopted by the health department as the key reason for the drastic fall in dengue cases in the district. "We are observing Fridays as dry days across the district. It is an anti-larvae measure. We released Gambusia (Mosquitofish) and Poecilia reticulata (Guppy) fish species in 1,000 waterbodies across the district to contain the mosquito menace," he said.
"Even if a single dengue case is reported, we screen all people in the entire village and conduct an awareness drive. All our interventions yielded good results," he explained.
