Even as more than 300 cases of dengue were reported from some districts of the state, Andhra Pradesh's Chief minister Chandrababu Naidu's native district of Chittoor has topped the list in the two states with 1,059 cases reported over the last month.
While unconfirmed estimates put the number at 1,400 positive cases, the authorities have now verified that the number is 1,059.
These reports come in despite a central medical team visiting the district last month and warning them to take proper steps.
Many hospitals in the state are witnessing a large number of patients getting admitted and are unprepared to deal with the rush as patients are not provided with cots and also have to be treated in unsanitary conditions, even in private hospitals.
“We have taken up house-to-house surveys to assess the incidence of dengue,” Prakasam District Medical and Health Officer Dr.Yasmin earlier told The Hindu, adding that anti-larvael measures were taken up with special focus on 111 villages while a second round of DDT spraying has been completed in areas vulnerable to malaria.
The sad state of sanitation could also be driving people outside the state for treatment, some feel.
"The number of cases could be actually higher, as Chittoor is near Bangalore and Chennai, and many people are going to private hospitals there," an official told Times of India while adding that all the major hospitals, both government and private, are running full.
The treatment for the disease is also proving to be costly, as many citizens complain that admittance to a hospital burns a hole in their pocket.