The number of dengue and swine flu cases has been on the rise in various districts of the state. Ludhiana district has witnessed maximum number of cases, although the number is lower than the last year.

The state has witnessed two deaths due to swine flu and three due to dengue this year. While both patients suffering from swine flu were from Ludhiana, those who lost their lives to dengue belonged to Kapurthala, Sangrur and Muktsar.

Dr Dipak Bhatia, project programme officer and project coordinator, Integrated Disease Surveillance Project, Punjab, said: “The state received its first swine flu patient in 2009 from Jalandhar. But cases are now being reported from almost all districts, particularly Jalandhar and Ludhiana. We are taking preventive measures and have issued instructions to the civil surgeons of all districts to send the samples for testing to the Virology Laboratory at the PGI, Chandigarh. These tests can also be conducted at the National Centre for Disease Control, Delhi, and Religare Laboratory.

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Sanjay Raj Singh Garg, 21, of Muktsar has added another feather to his cap with his academic brilliance. He has become the first Indian to get a fellowship of $65,183 from the Brown University in the United States to do his Masters in Economics. 

Sanjay, an alumni of Little Flower Convent School, here, has stood first in the state in the ISC senior secondary exams with 97.2 per cent marks in 2008. Sanjay’s father, advocate Rajinder Kumar Garg said his son did his graduation in Economics from St. Stephen's College (Delhi) and was a topper there.

“The Department of Economics in the Brown University has admitted only 14 students from across the world and Sanjay is the only one from this sub-continent,” said advocate Rajinder Kumar Garg. He added that the Brown University ranked 39 in the world, where his son would complete his Masters under the 10-month-long study programme.

“Besides academics at Stephen's College, my son has participated in some social works as well. He was among the team of volunteers from St. Stephen’s who visited Bihar for flood relief projects.”

Though the larvae of mosquitoes causing dengue are normally found in the post-monsoon season, the district health authorities found them breeding in desert coolers at four places in a locality here today.

During a routine checking, an insect collector of the office of the Civil Surgeon went to the Street No 9 on the Ajit Road here to check the desert coolers and other breeding places of mosquitoes.

During the checking, he found larvae of the mosquito causing dengue in the desert coolers of four houses and immediately informed the officiating Civil Surgeon, Dr Raghubir Singh Randhawa.

Later, Dr Randhawa along with a team, including epidemiologist Dr Nisha and sanitary inspector Sukhchain Singh, visited the houses and inspected the places. He also got the larvae destroyed. He educated the owners of the houses to dry the water tanks of their desert coolers every seventh day so that the cycle of breeding of larvae could be broken.

Dr Randhawa said it was pertinent to note that the larvae found in the desert coolers of four houses had been hatched from the eggs that had been laid during the previous year.

He said when the climatic conditions (increased humidity and fall in temperature) became favourable recently, the larvae hatched from the eggs after coming into contact with water.

He said it was the first instance during this season that the larva of mosquito causing dengue had been detected so early in the city. He said that so far, no case of dengue from the Bathinda district had been reported this season though in the neighbouring Muktsar district over 50 cases of dengue had been reported and one case was reported in Mansa district.

Dr Randhawa urged the city residents to store water in covered utensils as dengue mosquitoes bred only in clean water. He also asked them not to allow accumulation of water in open earthen pots, waste tyres, small water tanks built outside houses for animals etc.

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Thousands of youth seeking recruitment in the defence forces today converged on the supply depot grounds in the cantonment here where the recruitment rally being held by the Army recruitment office under the aegis of Golden Arrow Division began today.

Col Balwan Singh, Director (Recruitment), while giving details, said the recruitment drive will continue till April 14. Aspiring youth from four districts including Bathinda, Muktsar, Faridkot and Ferozepur will be allowed to participate in it.

He said over 1000 youth from the Faridkot district participated in the recruitment drive today, which will be followed by boys from Muktsar, Bathinda and Ferozepur. He said all arrangements for the smooth conduct of the recruitment process have been made. Col Singh cautioned the youth from falling into the trap of unscrupulous agents.