Dozens of people are dying in the Indian state: An epidemic has probably broken out – Topky.sk

According to health authorities in Firozabad, about 40 kilometers east of Agra, 58 people, including children, have died from dengue fever in the surrounding region. According to Reuters, this raises concerns that the worst dengue epidemic in recent years is taking place in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

The local authorities are therefore taking various preventive measures – there are 95 medical facilities in the whole district in an effort to prevent the further spread of this fever. In addition, disinsection of the most risky areas in terms of mosquito reproduction is carried out and thousands of small freshwater fish are used to combat them. The so-called Gambusia affinis feeds on mosquito larvae.

One local government official said on condition of anonymity that many children had succumbed to dengue fever after being brought to various healers or charlatans by their parents, who could not afford proper health care.

However, only three dengue deaths have been officially confirmed in Uttar Pradesh to date. But authorities are investigating whether there have been more such cases, Reuters writes. In India, they recorded 56 deaths from dengue fever last year, the lowest in recent years. In the state of Uttar Pradesh alone, the disease recorded the highest number of deaths (42) in 2016 in the last six years.

Dengue is also commonly known as “fracture fever” because it causes severe muscle and bone pain. More serious epidemics can cause congestion in hospitals.