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Written By: Admin | Published : October 14, 2012 10:26 AM IST
400 dengue cases in the Capital this season with 30 new cases on Saturday but officials say there's no need to panic.
Even though various civic bodies have gone on overdrive since the disease reared its head there seems to be a distinct lack of preparation with 20 new cases being reported daily. The state government on the other hand is adamant that the official figures are 150 and there's been only one death due to the disease this season.
Experts on the other hand feel that the 400 figure is just the tip of the iceberg. 'For the past three weeks, private hospitals have been flooded with patients with symptoms of dengue. I personally see as many as ten confirmed dengue cases every day. The figures given out by the Delhi Government do not really reflect the actual number of cases, which is over twice the government records. The records section of any private hospital/ nursing home will give you a very different picture from what the Government is claiming,' a senior consultant with Max Super Speciality hospital says.
Along with dengue there have been cases of malaria, chikungunya and other viral infections as well. Refuting charges of wide-scale spread of dengue, Municipal Corporation of Delhi's senior health official Dr. N. K. Yadav says, 'Dengue is a seasonal, sometimes fatal viral disease, which spreads by day-biting Aedes mosquito. The symptoms -- high fever, sever headache, muscle and joint pain, pain behind the eyes and rashes -- appear within 3-14 days of the bite. Treatment is symptomatic and pain killers and aspirin are not recommended.'
'The civic bodies are tackling the situation well and there are no problems. The city has seen a large number of dengue and malaria cases before too. We have intensified fogging and door-to-door inspection. Also, our employees have been asked to work on Sundays. But there is no case for concern or worry, the problem is very much under control,' he adds. The maximum numbers of dengue cases have been reported from South and Central Delhi (both over 40 cases each this season) and patients from the neighbouring States too come for treatment to Delhi hospitals.
Stating that the Municipal Corporations of Delhi are to be blamed to a large extent for the situation that the Capital finds itself in, Delhi Health Minister Dr. A. K. Walia says, 'There should have been adequate checking of mosquito breeding just after the rains.' Speaking about discrepancy in the number of dengue cases reported by government and private hospitals, the Minister says: 'Private hospitals are showing much larger figures compared to government hospitals. We have asked government hospitals to use testing kits which work faster to confirm dengue cases. Also, they have been told to have adequate number of beds and assured blood supply to take care of dengue patients. Our hospitals are well equipped and prepared. We are sure that the number of dengue cases will go down by early November when the winter sets in.'
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