hamburger icon
A
अ
Read in Hindi
  • Home
  • News
  • Mosquito menace: Why there is a stronger need for action against dengue

Mosquito menace: Why there is a stronger need for action against dengue

Dengue and other mosquito-borne diseases can turn life-threatening if not treated in time.

WrittenBy

Written By: Aishwarya Iyer | Updated : July 30, 2018 2:49 PM IST

thehealthsite.com top news

Since January this year, about 1,000 cases of dengue have been reported in India's neighbour, Bangladesh, of which 8 of them have lost their lives to dengue. Abdur Rahim of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) told Xinhua news agency on Sunday that 22 fresh cases of dengue were reported from Dhaka, taking the total number of confirmed cases till July 28 this year in the city to 992. Rahim added that hospitals and clinics in Dhaka have recorded the deaths meaning that the victims died while undergoing treatment.

This alarming spike in the number of cases in Bangladesh is a reason for worry in our country too. JP Nadda, the Union Health Minister has written a letter to the Chief Minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal emphasizing on the need to implement preventive measure to check the spread of dengue and other vector-borne diseases reportedly.

Monsoon is the season of this menace. A lot of vector-borne diseases, especially dengue and malaria spread in this season. "It has been observed from the reports received by us that the number of dengue and malaria cases in Delhi is on the rise in recent times," Nadda reportedly said in his letter.

Also Read

As of today, 13 cases of dengue and 18 cases of chikungunya have been reported in Delhi, only in the month of July. According to the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC)- a corporation that tabulates data on vector-borne diseases, 2 cases of malaria were reported in February, 1 each in April as well as March, 25 in June and 29 till July 21st.

5 things to know about dengue:

  1. Dengue is a mosquito-borne disease which can turn out to be life-threatening if it is not treated on time. The symptoms of dengue start to show after three to seven days of acquiring the infection. The common symptoms include fever, headache, muscle and joint pains and skin rash.
  2. It is a condition in which fluids and proteins leak out of tiny blood vessels, into surrounding tissues making them swollen.
  3. While it is widely known that Dengue mosquitoes usually bite in the morning, you can get infected at night as well. Dengue does not spare anyone and affects both adults and children alike.
  4. At present, there isn't any vaccination to prevent this viral infection. But some media reports have suggested a clinical trial in India is on for a dengue vaccine. The clinical trials are said to start in 2018 and the vaccine will be available mostly by end of 2019.
  5. Wearing full-sleeved clothes as well as using mosquito nets at home are ways to prevent dengue from spreading further.

(With inputs from IANS)

Image Source: Shutterstock

Add The Health Site as a Preferred Source Add The Health Site as a Preferred Source
Aishwarya Iyer

Aishwarya Iyer

... Read More