Navi Mumbai: The Panvel Municipal Corporation (PMC) has reported first death due to dengue in its jurisdiction. A 17-year-old girl preparing for the NEET exam in Kamothe died while undergoing treatment for the disease.
This has created panic among residents in the area. They alleged that this happened due to poor fumigation by the municipal corporation. The deceased student was living at Gurudev Heights in Sector 21 in Kamothe.
The representative of Gurudev Heights met medical health officer Dr Anand Gosavi and said that the treatment of the students had started last week. She was admitted to Apollo Hospital in Belapur as her condition was critical for two days.
241 dengue cases recorded in two months
Complaining about the municipality's policy of fumigation in housing societies where dengue-like disease patients are found, members of the Kamothe Colony Forum on Monday met the municipality's health department and demanded immediate fumigation of the colony. Also, the municipality ensured that it would undertake a search campaign for dengue mosquito breeding centres by spraying smoke.
During July and August, the Health Department of PMC received a total of 241 cases of dengue. A senior official from the Municipal Health Department said that 115 patients were found in July and 126 in August.
Kamothe residents demand fumigation
The Kamothe Colony Forum, an organisation run by residents, claimed that there are two dengue patients in every housing society. “The civic body should take a proactive action plan due to the increasing number of patients,” said the members. They added that the corporation should release an information leaflet about the symptoms and precautions of dengue in every society in order to prevent dengue.
Dengue cases see a steep rise in Kamothe
In the last two weeks, after the number of dengue cases increased in Sectors 6, 6A, and 7 of Kamothe Colony, when the members of the forum asked about the fumigation at the Kamothe office of the municipality, the municipality staff said that the smoke spraying is done only in the societies where dengue patients are found and only on the ground floor.
Meanwhile, a senior official from the civic health department said that after receiving information about the death due to dengue, the civic health team visited the home of the deceased and found mosquito breeding spots in plant pots at two locations. “Citizens are demanding fogging in the node. The civic administration will take a decision in this regard soon,” said a senior official from the Health Department of PMC.
