Pune’s dengue outbreak has exposed gaps in the municipal response after a nine-year-old girl from Lohgaon died during treatment for severe dengue, while civic officials reportedly cited an expired spraying contract and inadequate manpower during a standing committee meeting.
Gatha Hemant Khese was undergoing treatment at the intensive care unit of Ruby Hall Clinic when she died at around 8 pm on Sunday, October 18, according to paediatrician Dr Prashant Udavant, as reported by Lokmat – Pune. Her medical condition had deteriorated because of dengue shock syndrome, severe liver injury and kidney failure, the report said.
The death has renewed concerns about vector-control measures in Pune as dengue and malaria cases rise across the city. Local representatives alleged that municipal authorities had been alerted about the increase nearly two months ago and had been warned to take immediate action. However, the health department reportedly said that the contract for insecticide spraying had ended and that adequate manpower was not available.
The issue was raised during a meeting of the Pune Municipal Corporation’s standing committee. A woman from the area was connected to the meeting through the hall’s microphone and told members that her two-and-a-half-year-old daughter had required eight days of intensive-care treatment at Sassoon Hospital after contracting dengue. She also complained that spraying had not been carried out at her home even eight days after the child returned from treatment.
A state-level team is inspecting wards 1, 2, 3 and 6 under the guidance of senior state entomologists and in coordination with the municipal health department, the report said. Teams are conducting door-to-door container surveys in locations where water may collect, including refrigerator trays, air coolers and stored-water containers, to check for mosquito larvae.
Residents have been advised to observe at least one dry day every week to prevent mosquito breeding. The advice includes emptying and drying water drums and vessels, covering them with cloth or saree material, and using biological measures such as introducing guppy fish where continuously flowing water cannot be maintained.
The reported gap between household-level inspections and neighbourhood spraying has become a central concern in the civic response. Municipal committee member Suhas Tingre said the administration must take immediate action to protect residents’ lives and warned that failure to do so could lead to an intensified protest. The state-level inspection and municipal health department’s field activities are continuing, according to the report.
