The Punjab health department has launched an intensified monsoon offensive against dengue, malaria and chikungunya, expanding free ELISA testing to 47 sentinel hospitals and leaning on its weekly ‘Har Shukarvaar – Dengue Te Vaar’ (Every Friday, a Strike Against Dengue) drive, under which students, teachers and health workers fan out to clear stagnant water. Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh said the state has cut dengue cases from 23,389 in 2021 to 4,981 in 2025, with deaths falling from 55 to eight over the same period, crediting nearly 1.5 crore household visits by surveillance teams last season.
Ludhiana district, however, remains one to watch: earlier this month the health department flagged more than 40 localities as active dengue and malaria risk zones and stepped up larvae-source inspections in colonies across the city and its rural belt, including areas feeding into the Jagraon sub-division, after clean, standing water left behind by recent rain created fresh breeding grounds.
Officials are urging households to inspect coolers, tanks and stored containers weekly, keep surroundings dry, and seek prompt treatment for fever, severe body pain or unusual bleeding. Free treatment, testing and platelet supplies remain available at all government hospitals and health centres in the district, and eligible families can access cashless care through the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana, which has already processed lakhs of rupees in monsoon-season treatments statewide.
Source: Rozana Spokesman (Aug 20, 2026); The Chenab Times (Aug 12, 2026). Reporting window: Aug 12–20, 2026.
