Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Smoke generated due to firecrackers on Diwali did not meet the expectations of health officials who kept their fingers crossed for a relief from the mosquito menace in the city as number of dengue cases is increasing rapidly.

As many as 15 more samples were tested positive with the deadly vector-borne disease in 24 hours with which the total number of dengue cases has increased to 536 so far. However, health department officials claimed that they received reports of these cases on Monday as they erupted during Diwali festivities.

According to district malaria officer Dr Daulat Patel, the number of cases is increasing and people need to be extra cautious and use mosquito repellents to prevent the disease. ‘Cases were found in almost all areas of the city, including Vijay Nagar, Musakhedi, Bhawarkuan and Khandwa Road area,’ Dr Patel said. As many as 15 active cases are in the city, out of which none were admitted to hospitals and are getting treatment at home.

58.9 per cent patients are male

According to the records of the health department, out of a total of 536 cases, as many as 58.9 per cent patients are male (316), while 42 per cent are female (220). Children, too, are being affected by the deadly disease as 61 of them also fell prey to the disease.

Larvae detected in 1,425 homes

While the number of dengue cases is increasing continuously, the health department says it has conducted surveys in over 82k homes, so far. ‘We’ve surveyed over 60k houses, so far, out of which larvae were found at over 1300 places. Along with eliminating the larvae, we also warned the people to maintain strict hygiene and not keep water stored in containers or in other household utensils’, Dr Patel added.