Written By: Debjani Arora | Published : October 11, 2014 11:42 AM IST
A 55-year-old woman from Walkeshwar, Mumbai succumbed to dengue on October 4, the fifth death in the city due to the disease. The woman was admitted to the Jaslok Hospital in Pedder road on September 29 with high fever.In the same month 117 dengue cases were registered in the city, which is almost twice the figure in August (65) and July (52). Apart from high fever, the victim had a history of kidney ailments and was critical.
Experts believe that people suffering with additional ailments like diabetes, hypertension or chronic ailments need to be more careful. 'People shouldn't take fever lightly. This season, dengue is already showing liver, kidney and lung involvement and early diagnosis is a must. With co-morbid factors, the complications can go up if not treated on time,' said Dr Khusrav Bajan, an intensivist at PD Hinduja Hospital to Dna newspaper.
Dengue in Mumbai
Areas which have registered the most dengue cases include Bandra, Goregaon, Prabhadevi, Dadar, parts of Parel, Walkeshwar etc. As reported by dna earlier, one of the obstacles faced by the BMC in curbing the menace is a staff crunch because several of its employees are on election duty. 'The staff is being forced to work extra. We are giving advertisement in newspapers, going for radio jingles so we can reach to maximum people,' said Dr Gomare.
Breeding areas of mosquitoes
Dr Mangala Gomare, epidemiology head in BMC, said, 'We are intensifying our awareness campaign on dengue. Our aim is to reach out to as many people as we can as 80% of the breeding sites of the Aedes mosquito, carrier of the dengue virus, are found indoors. Around 60% of such cases are seen in affluent housing societies where we have found breeding spots in mini-fountains, feng-shui plants and miniature artificial ponds.'
The curious case of dropping platelet counts
Dna has already reported another worrying sign of dengue this year: The frequency with which the patients' platelet counts are dropping. Dr Om Shrivastav, director of the department of infectious diseases at Jaslok Hospital, said, 'We are seeing more severe forms of dengue this year where the platelet count dips very fast. For example, in 48 hours, the platelet count can fall from 2 lakh to 10-15,000 and remain so for 5-7 days. In such cases, we have to keep the patient hospitalised because of the fear of bleeding. As a result, the period of hospitalisation is extended.'
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:
Severe headache
Pain behind the eyes
Nausea, Vomiting
Swollen glands
Muscle and joint pains
Rash
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.
Image source: Getty Images
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