bengaluru with 161 suspected cases of dengue in bengaluru on friday alone doctors say the number is on the rise after continuous showers according to data with the department of health and family welfare the case count is higher this year 1335 cases were recorded between january and may while the figure was 850 in the corresponding period of 2021experts attribute the spike in cases to rain and stagnant water inside homes as well as in public spaces dr ramesh k kaulgud joint director national vector borne disease control programme directorate of health and family welfare service said the incessant summer showers have increased stagnant water which is a breeding ground for dengue mosquitoes dengue is a viral fever that is transmitted by the bite of aedes aegypti mosquito during the day it lays its eggs on the walls of waterfilled containers the eggs hatch when submerged in water there is an increase in the number when compared to last year it is because of the continuous rain in the past few weeks he said hospitals in the city have also seen an increase in dengue cases in the past week dr sn aravinda consultant internal medicine aster rv hospital said there has been a sudden surge in patients being hospitalised for dengue we have been admitting two or more patients on a daily basis since the past week this can be attributed to bursts of rain and sudden dip in temperature the patients are mostly in the age group of 2540 he said adding that the only way to avoid this is to stop mosquito breeding dr darshana reddy consultant internal medicine altius hospital said they usually see a spurt in dengue cases by may and a peak in septemberoctober each year however this year they have witnessed cases surge by early januarymarch it is probably because of ease in covid restrictions and people stepping out there have been about 1417 cases of dengue in karnataka up to early may this year with no deaths noted as per the national centre for vectorborne diseases almost 80 of the cases are from bengaluru dr reddy said she said though it affects all age groups dengue hemorrhagic fever has been more common in children dr brunda ms consultant internal medicine aster cmi hospital advised people to not let water stagnate in nearby areas and use a mosquito net while sleeping to stay protected also practise hygienic habits while eating food outside and drink clean water she said dr brunda said one must watch out for common symptoms like fever body pain backache headache rashes and bleeding in severe cases doctors said increasing awareness and eliminating vectorbreeding sites are some measures that can help control the disease