Officials said these include spreading awareness through campaigns, fogging, setting up a separate dengue ward in the civil hospital, among others. At least 16 dengue cases have been confirmed in Gurgaon till Tuesday, with most cases being reported from from Daulatabad, Sector 15, Sector 49, Sector 31 and Bhondsi Jail — all under the new Gurgaon area. However, officials at private hospitals said the number of suspected cases is above 100. While doctors admitted that the number of dengue patients is increasing each day, they said the cases are less when compared to the last two years. Last year saw 315 cases of dengue, while 2013 saw 375 cases. Approximately 469 cases were reported during 2012. The district malaria office, which is the vector control department, has initiated various curative and preventive steps to control the spread of the disease. Officials said these include spreading awareness through campaigns, fogging, setting up a separate dengue ward in the civil hospital, among others. Officials also said that once a dengue case is identified in a particular area, 50 houses around it are subjected to fogging. “Health department officials have begun checking homes for mosquito breeding. Following mild showers over the past few days, we are also checking for breeding in water bodies and filling them with gambusia fish which eat the mosquito larvae,” said chief medical officer (CMO) Pushpa Bishnoi. The Health department has identified 20 such water bodies where these fish will be introduced. It has also identified 248 places in the city which are congenial for breeding of dengue larvae, said an official. The civic bodies — Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG) and Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) — have also been directed by the Health department to introduce the fish in water-logged areas. When it comes to implementation of these measures, however, officials said the funds are not enough. After the CMO wrote to the State health ministry seeking additional funds and medical staff, a miniscule amount of Rs 5 lakh was assigned to the district malaria office to implement prevention programmes of malaria and dengue. “This amount has been added to an already small yearly budget of Rs 75 lakh. As Gurgaon district is spread over a large area and has a high population density, the funds are not enough. As a result, many planned initiative have not taken off,” a senior official said.