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Written By: Agencies | Published : October 7, 2013 8:33 PM IST
The number of deaths due to dengue in the national capital has risen to four and the number of cases now total 2,916, said an official on Monday.
According to municipal health authorities, 35-year-old Gautam Priyanka, a resident of KishanGargh in Delhi, died Monday due to the vector-borne disease.
The other victims who have succumbed to the virus, as confirmed by authorities, are Phool Singh, 47, of west Delhi's Ashok Nagar, Priyanka Shankar, 21, of north Delhi's Pratap Nagar and Priya Jha, 6, of south Delhi's Okhla.
The number of cases in the capital has risen from 2,557 Thursday to 2,916 Monday.
In 2012, a total of 2,093 cases were reported while this year till Oct 7, 2,916 cases have been confirmed by the authorities.
Out of the total 2,916 cases, 2,881 are reported from Delhi while the others are those from neighbouring areas. (Read: Delhi dengue update: Ghulam Nabi Azad asks people to take preventive steps)
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.
With inputs from IANS
