Dengue is becoming a cause of concern for public health officials in Delhi as hospitals are reporting increasing cases of the vector-borne disease.
At least three dengue cases have been reported every day for the past three weeks in most hospitals in the national capital.
Not all dengue patients require hospitalization. If the fever persists after the prescribed period and signs of complications appear, the patient is admitted to the hospital.
Dengue virus (DENV) causes fever and hemorrhagic symptoms. DENV-2 is associated with more severe disease.
Dengue infection is caused by four closely related viruses named DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3 and DEN-4. These four viruses are called serotypes because each has different interactions with antibodies in human blood serum. Four DENV serotypes mean that it is possible to be infected four times.
Dengue season starts after monsoon and lasts till the beginning of winter. Experts believe that dengue cases were very less last year.
Sisir Paul, Director and Head of the Department of Pediatrics, Max (Saket) said that four-five dengue patients are coming to the hospital every day.
“We do not get the analysis result whether it is den 1 or den 2, we only get to know through NS1 antigen test whether it is a positive case of dengue or not. Certainly, we are seeing more dengue patients, But we don’t know whether they are strain 2. Last year, dengue cases were very less. Fever starts to subside in four to five days. We are getting three to four positive patients every day.”
“There are two most common complications in dengue, one is low blood pressure and the other is low platelets. There is also a risk of bleeding,” he said.
Dr Suresh Kumar, Medical Director of Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Hospital (LNJP), said that patients are also coming from outside Delhi.
“We are getting two to three dengue cases every day and some patients are from outside Delhi also. It takes five to six days for a patient to recover. We are also admitting patients who have low platelet count. “
Dr BL Sherwal, Medical Director, Rajiv Gandhi Super Specialty Hospital said that dengue is a mosquito-borne disease and everyone should take precautions.
“Prevention is better than cure. We are getting cases from Delhi, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh,” he said.
Firozabad in Uttar Pradesh has reported the highest number of dengue cases in the state.
Apart from Uttar Pradesh, cases of dengue have also been reported in some other states. Cases of malaria and chikungunya were also reported in Delhi.
Hospitals in Delhi had earlier seen an increase in viral fever in children. (ANI)
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