TAKING cognisance of a news report by ‘The Hitavada’ about the surge in Dengue and Chikungunya cases in Nagpur, the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court has directed Adv Tejal Agre to submit a detailed affidavit regarding the situation. This development came after the advocate raised concerns about the lack of preventive measures by Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) in addressing thespread of the diseases. In a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filedin 2014, social worker Anil Agre had urgedthe court to mandate proactive measuresagainst Dengue and Malaria. AdvTejal Agre, through a recent application in the PIL, informed the court that there had been anotable increase in the number of cases, yet the NMC has not implemented effective preventive strategies.

 

The division bench of Justice Nitin Sambre and Justice Abhay Mantri hasinstructed Adv Agre to file the affidavit bynext week. The report published on July 28highlighted a troubling trend: Nagpur is experiencing a higher number of chikungunya cases compared to Dengue. Of 304 tested cases this year, 38 were positive for Dengue and 88 for chikungunya. Health experts attribute the rise in chikungunya to stagnant water, which serves as a breeding ground for mosquitoes, increased by high humidity and the continued use of water coolers without proper maintenance . 

 

Underreporting of cases: Actual numbers higher ConCerns are rising over the accuracy of reported Dengue and chikungunya cases in city as sources from the Health Department suggested that actual case numbers might be higher than the official figures. According to these sources, many patients are receiving treatment based on symptoms rather than undergoing blood tests which led to an underreporting of cases. Health offi- cials indicated that a l arge number of patients showing symp- toms consistent with Dengue and chikungunya, such as high fever, are seeking medical attention from local doctors. These doctors are prescribing medications based on the symptoms observed, rather than conducting blood tests to confirm the pres- ence of the diseases. As a result, these patients are not includ- ed in the official case count, which reflects only those who have undergone testing. This trend of symptom-based treatment with- out testing is skewing the reported num