Patiala, Sept. 29 -- Patiala is leading the state in dengue cases this season, with the tally reaching 185 as of Sunday, compared to only 44 during the same period last year. Ludhiana, with 118 cases, is the second worst-hit district in the state. Alarmed over the surge, Punjab health minister Dr Balbir Singh on Sunday visited Patiala's Nabha block, which alone has reported 85 cases, to review containment measures and inspect the affected areas. District epidemiologist Dr Sumeet Singh said two hotspot areas-Boharan Gate and Pandusar colony-had been identified within Nabha town, where the majority of cases had been reported. He confirmed that 14 patients were currently admitted at the Nabha civil hospital, but all were stable. The minister appealed to residents to avoid water stagnation in flower pots, refrigerator trays, coolers, tyres and other containers. "Standing water sources should be cleaned and dried at least once a week to prevent the breeding of dengue mosquitoes," he added. Dr Singh underlined that dengue spread rapidly during the post-monsoon season, but said the state had scaled up the testing and surveillance. Dengue tests were available at Aam Aadmi Clinics across Punjab, and he was personally reviewing the situation twice daily. He informed that joint teams of the health department, local bodies and executive officers were conducting household inspections to check the larvae. "There are 65 lakh households in Punjab, and our health teams have already conducted 94 lakh home visits, with multiple rounds in hotspot areas. Anti-larvae spraying has been intensified and panchayats have been provided with pumps. I have also directed urban local bodies to increase fogging in high-risk zones," he said. The health minister maintained that the health department had been working round-the-clock for the past six weeks to contain the dengue outbreak. As to the Nabha outbreak, local officials pointed to the poor sanitation and lack of public participation as key factors behind the spike in cases. Plugged nullahs with sludge have reportedly become breeding grounds for mosquitoes....