Bengaluru: Spike in Dengue cases

The dengue epidemic that had initially been witnessed in the Dakshina Kannada district has now found a base in the state capital, Bengaluru as well. A dangerous trend is being observed wherein a majority of the patients are young children. There has been a spike of more than 50% with regard to this. This spike is in comparison to the previous 2 months, June and July. 

Even among children, those aged below 8 are being disproportionately affected by this. 1 in 4 children being admitted to the hospital are patients afflicted by Dengue. The number of children being admitted for dengue per day on an average is currently 30. Previously it was 15. It is being speculated that the Covid-19 pandemic has weakened the immune system of children significantly and this could be attributed as a factor for the rise in cases. The stagnation of water due to increase in rains can also be attributed as a factor. 

In comparison to the previous there has been a 16% rise in cases. In 2022, between January and August, a total of 4567 cases were registered. In 2023, for the same period, the number of cases has been 5526. In Bengaluru alone, the number of cases have been 2669.