A major dengue epidemic is sweeping the country but Union and state health ministries and municipalities such as BBMP are in denial.
In the national capital, leading private hospitals such as Fortis, Max Healthcare, Apollo Hospital and Batra Hospital all say they are flooded with dengue patients, with as many as 150 patients coming in on average every day. In fact, several large hospitals have put up beds even in waiting spaces to treat additional patients.
But health ministry officials insist that the number of dengue cases is still “inching towards the 1,000 mark” and therefore it cannot be called an “epidemic”.
Meanwhille, in garbage-filled, cyclone-hit Bengaluru, some 17 people have died of dengue in recent weeks, after BBMP took a long time to wake up to the spreading disease. In all, Karnataka has reported over 3,140 cases of dengue, and over 50 deaths due to the disease.
But the health and family welfare department continues to downplay the seriousness of the situation. In fact, between January and now, the department itself has reported 11,605 suspected cases of dengue, confirmed.