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Written By: Admin | Published : October 4, 2013 11:05 AM IST
The dengue fever outbreak is particularly bad this year with 2557 cases. But the shocking fact is that 433 cases were confirmed in the first three days of October. The first step towards fighting the outbreak would be for the government to stop under-reporting cases, say experts. It would make people realise
With a wet October predicted, the capital is facing its worst dengue outbreak in over a decade, KK Agarwal, a senior physician at Moolchand Hospital, told HT. Experts believe that until the monsoons abate, the numbers will continue to rise. Until mosquito breeding is controlled, dengue cases will continue to rise, said Dr SP Byotra, who heads the department of medicine at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. The stop-start nature of the rains has made it even worse as intermittent rains lead to more mosquito-breeding sites. This is the worst outbreak in the capital since 2010 when over 2000 cases were reported which almost derailed the Commonwealth Games. Many have pointed out that it was the massive construction work that year which caused the problem which begs the question what is it this year?
So what is dengue?
It is a tropical disease, usually transmitted by mosquitoes and the common symptoms include fever, headache, muscle and joint pains and skin rash. There is no vaccine for dengue and the only way to reduce infections is to improve hygiene levels so as to prevent mosquito-bites and prevent mosquitoes from breeding. It s particularly difficult to create a vaccine because it s caused by different viruses and there are no animal models available for testing. The disease kills over five thousand Indians every year and is a seasonal threat, particularly during the monsoon seasons.
So what are the symptoms of dengue?
Characterized by severe flu-like symptoms, dengue affects infants, children and adults alike and could be fatal. The clinical manifestations of dengue vary with the age of the patient. A person suffering from high fever in the range of 40 C/ 104 F, accompanied by any two of the following symptoms could be suffering from dengue:
Symptoms usually last for 2-7 days. Dengue could progress to severe dengue, a potentially fatal complication, causing leaking of plasma, fluid accumulation, respiratory distress, severe bleeding and organ impairment.
The warning signs to look out for occur 3-7 days after the first symptoms along with a decrease in temperature are severe abdominal pain, persistent vomiting, rapid breathing, bleeding gums, blood in vomit, fatigue, restlessness. (
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