Tripura Records 255 Dengue Cases, More Than 10 Times Last Year

Tripura has this year reported the highest number of annual dengue cases in the last five years. At least 255 cases of the mosquito-borne disease have been recorded across five of the state's eight districts even as official data says the disease has caused no death so far. This is more than 10 times the number of cases recorded last year.

Among the total cases, 76 were found in the Gomati district, 56 in the Unakoti district, 27 in the Sepahijala district, and one case each in the North and South districts. Assessment by health officials shows that 95 per cent of the infected persons are either rubber tappers or those staying adjacent to rubber estates.

Tripura is the second largest rubber-producing state in India and the state government has historically incentivised cultivation to rehabilitate tribals in the hill districts and create a steady source of revenue. It has also helped the government control insurgency in the state.

State surveillance officer Dr Deep Debbarma said, "We visited some of the infected areas and found that most of the patients were working in rubber plantations. We advise them to wear full-sleeve clothes to reduce exposure to the mosquitoes while they work in the gardens."

According to official data, 127 dengue cases were reported in 2017, 100 cases in 2018, 109 cases in 2019, and 24 in 2020.

A large number of dengue fever patients were detected in at least two districts of Tripura but the health officials have reassured the public that it's not something to be alarmed about. With a positivity rate of 24.24% during the first ten days of November, a total of 161 new cases were detected in the state - 76 in Gomati and 56 in Unakoti districts, the two most affected districts. Unlike the normal trend of dengue cases being usually detected in urban areas, in Tripura, most of the cases were detected in rural areas and 95% of the patients are rubber tappers.