Dengue claims 3 lives in Thane, over 800 suspected cases

The onset of monsoon has led to a sudden rise in the number of dengue cases in Thane city.

The alarming number of cases came to light during the committee meeting on Tuesday, when officials from the health department revealed that three dengue related deaths had occurred in the last three days.

Apart from the three deaths, at least 237 cases of dengue have been reported and another 824 are suspected of being riddled with the viral disease.

The rise in number of cases can be attributed to the irregular bouts of rain coupled with stagnant water and humid weather, which are suitable conditions for the breeding of dengue mosquitos.

Recently, when two Mumbra residents had lost their lives on the same day due to dengue, the civic body had inspected the water tanks of over 8,848 homes from the area. Of them, the larvae of dengue-causing mosquitoes was found in 755 tanks. From Mumbra alone, over 350 people are suspected of suffering from dengue.

Following which, fumigation, sanitation drives and anti-mosquito breeding operations were carried out in areas like Thakurpada, Rashid Compound and more.

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What is dengue:

Dengue is a viral disease and is transmitted by the bite of female aedes aegypti mosquito.

Symptoms:

The symptoms for dengue begin four to six days after infection and last for up to 10 days. They include:

# Sudden high fever
# Severe headaches
# Pain behind the eyes
# Severe joint and muscle pain
# Fatigue
# Nausea
# Vomiting
# Skin rash, which appears two to five days after the onset of fever
# Mild bleeding (such a nosebleed, bleeding gums or easy bruising)

How to manage dengue?

# Take bed rest and plenty of oral fluids
# Paracetamol to control fever
# See a doctor in case of persistent vomiting
# Monitor blood platelets
# Take blood transfusion in severe cases (under doctor supervision)