Mizoram has seen a concerning rise in dengue fever cases, with at least 132 people infected between January 1 and April 30 this year. Tragically, the virus has claimed the lives of seven individuals in the state from 2019 to 2023.
During a program commemorating National Dengue Day, officials from the state vector-borne disease control program disclosed that a total of 4,209 individuals were infected with dengue during the specified period. Distressingly, all seven fatalities attributed to dengue were residents of Aizawl.
According to officials, five of the fatalities occurred in 2022, while the remaining two individuals lost their lives to dengue the following year. The highest number of infections was recorded in 2023, with 2,060 cases detected out of 12,949 samples tested throughout the year.
Dengue FeverDengue is a disease with a spectrum of severity, ranging from asymptomatic infection or mild illness to severe disease. It's estimated that around 1 in 4 dengue virus infections manifest symptoms. Typically, symptomatic dengue virus infection presents as a mild to moderate, acute febrile illness. Upon infection with one of the four dengue viruses, the individual develops long-lasting immunity to that specific virus. However, since there are four dengue viruses, people can experience multiple infections throughout their lifetime.