By: Debraj Deb (Bureau Chief-ICN Tripura)
AGARTALA: A special vector borne disease investigation team has arrived in Tripura to probe into reasons and forms of dengue, chikunguniya and Japanese Encephalitis prevalent in the state.
Speaking to reporters today, an official said that a specialist medical team from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the Regional Medical Research Centre, the National Institute of Epidemiology, Chennai is currently camping in Tripura to start an extensive survey on vector borne diseases occurring in the state on a mass scale.
Dr. Subrata Baidya, faculty of Community Medicine of the Agartala Government Medical College (AGMC) would be collaborating with the research.
The team is scheduled to start the survey on a specific set of selected questionnaire that would be administered voluntary respondents. Respondents would be selected from three age groups that include 5-8, 9-17 and 18-45 years. The survey would continue for three months.
The survey would be held in 16 different locations of the state and would commence from November 01 this year.
Meanwhile, eighty dengue cases were identified in the state till date in the current year. The figures are highly exacerbating compared to the previous year’s comprehensive figure of 102 dengue cases.
There were a total of 80 identified cases of dengue in the current year till date. The figures stood at 102 last year.
The figures for malaria stands at approximately 5,000 identified cases across the state this year. The figures for malaria, however, give a promising sign as the figures stood at 10,000 in the last year. Though there are months left to go for the current year, the complementing figures from last year for a similar timeframe compared to 2017-18 seem hopeful.There are 44 identified cases of Chikunguniya against 70 confirmed cases last year.
For Japanese Encephalitis, the figures have maintained status quo till date with a cumulative number of 98 identified cases throughout Tripura.There are no death cases from dengue, chikunguniya or Japanese Encephalitis till date this year.
