Jamshedpur: A suspected dengue case in East Singhbhum has put the health department on alert after a general nursing and midwifery (GNM) student of the nursing school at Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College and Hospital (MGMMCH) tested positive in an antigen test.The student was admitted to the emergency ward of MGMMCH on Monday and is undergoing treatment. District surveillance officer Dr Asad said an ELISA test has been ordered to confirm the infection. “Directions were issued this morning to conduct the laboratory test on the patient’s blood sample. We expect the report within about eight hours,” he said.Officials said the development is significant as East Singhbhum has not reported any confirmed dengue infection so far this year. According to the health department, more than 3,000 dengue tests were conducted between Jan and June, and all were negative.Health teams will survey the GNM school campus, located on the old MGM Hospital premises in Sakchi, to identify mosquito breeding sites and assess the risk of further infections. Around 120 GNM students stay in the hostel. Officials said ongoing construction of a new hospital building has caused waterlogging at the site, creating favourable conditions for mosquito breeding.Civil surgeon Dr Sahir Pall has directed all community health centres, primary health centres, Sadar Hospital and MGMMCH to set up dedicated dengue wards to deal with any possible rise in cases. Surveillance has been intensified, and residents have been urged to remove stagnant water in and around their homes.Dhanbad is also witnessing a rise in dengue cases with the onset of the monsoon. District health officials said larvae have been detected at 22 locations during an ongoing container survey. Teams are inspecting residential areas and destroying stagnant water collected in containers, discarded utensils, tyres, coolers and other objects.Among those infected in Dhanbad are Dr Sanjeev Kumar Prasad, deputy superintendent of Sadar Hospital, Dr Anita Chaudhary, in charge of Sadar primary health centre, and Santosh Kumar, an employee of the labour department. All are undergoing treatment.Civil surgeon Dr Alok Vishwakarma said the department is on high alert, and inspections have been intensified at potential breeding sites.(With inputs from Sharad Chandra in Dhanbad)
