Dengue in India: The incidences of dengue are rising across several parts of India. In southern India, the resumption of the Southwest Monsoon has led to a spike in dengue cases.
According to reports, a four-year-old boy lost his life due to dengue in Chennai and Tamil Nadu has reported three deaths so far. In Karnataka, approximately 7,000 cases of dengue were reported and in Telangana, almost 50 percent of fever cases in outpatient departments (OPDs) are dengue cases.
On Monday, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah instructed officials to take all necessary precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the vector-borne disease. Last week, the state’s health minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said that Bengaluru alone had reported 4,427 dengue cases this year. In Bengaluru,
Bengaluru has reported three confirmed dengue-related deaths. However, the city has reported fewer dengue-related hospitalisations this year. Hyderabad reported a 10-fold jump in dengue cases in the last month from 164 in in July to 1,171 in August.
Last week, Uttarakhand witnessed five deaths due to dengue, while 911 cases have been reported so far in the state, health minister Dhan Singh Rawat said in the assembly.
“As with every year during and post monsoon season, we get a surge in infections both water-borne as well as vector-borne. This year also we are getting patients with dengue fever which presents as fever with chills, headache mainly behind the eyes, bodyache, generalized weakness and nausea. Patients should desist from doing self-medication and avoid over-the-counter painkillers as they can be dangerous,” Dr Manoj Sharma, senior consultant, Internal Medicine, Fortis, Vasant Kunj told Financial Express.com.
In West Bengal, Kolkata has reported an increase in positivity rate from 5 percent to 15-20 percent last month. According to media reports, dengue-related hospitalisation has doubled in the last 10 days.
In Delhi, according to MCD data, 243 cases of dengue, 72 of malaria, and 14 of chikungunya have been reported till July 28. The number of dengue cases reported so far since January 1 is the highest in the last six years. However, the civic body has stopped releasing its weekly update on the number of cases of mosquito-borne diseases in the Capital. The civic body used to release the port every Monday, but the last update was on August 7.
On Monday, Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said that he has instructed the health department and the Delhi chief secretary to start a campaign for dengue awareness in the national capital.
We are seeing a lot of Dengue patients. Most of them have hectic fever, body aches, and vomiting. Complications like thrombocytopenia, rash, bleeding, hepatitis, and shock are also being seen. Patients are advised to avoid mosquito bites by wearing fully covered clothes and avoid the breeding of mosquitoes. If one has a fever then avoid burden, Combiflam, or aspirin. Drink plenty of fluids and test for Dengue on second or third day,” Dr. Seema Dhir, Sr. Consultant, Internal Medicine from Artemis Gurgaon told Financial Express.com.
Dr. Dhir also emphasised that report to your doctor in case of hectic fever, vomiting, bleeding, or poor oral intake
“A word of caution- other causes of fever like typhoid, influenza, chikungunya, and scrub typhus are also doing the rounds so please consult your doctor,” she warned.
‘Cases of Dengue Hepatitis is also being reported’
According to Dr. Ankita Baidya, Consultant Infectious Disease, HCMCT Manipal Hospitals, Dwarka, Dengue virus is categorised into five serotypes, and the second infection with a different serotype can be particularly dangerous. This is because once a person has been infected with one strain, they are generally immune to reinfection by the same strain, she revealed.
“We have observed a significant increase in the number of dengue cases, characterised by exceptionally high-grade fevers that sometimes do not respond to standard treatments such as intravenous paracetamol…In addition to the severe fever, many patients are presenting with thrombocytopenia, a condition marked by low platelet counts. Furthermore, we are also encountering cases of dengue hepatitis, characterised by significantly elevated liver enzyme levels,” Dr. Baidya told Financial Express.com.
“This year, we are witnessing a unique situation where dengue is causing both severe thrombocytopenia, necessitating platelet transfusions, and dengue hepatitis.”
In the past year, while we experienced a significant number of dengue infections, there were fewer cases requiring platelet transfusions, she revealed.
This year, the situation is different, as we are confronted with a combination of these complications, leading to patients requiring ICU admission due to hepatitis, fluid accumulation causing breathing difficulties, and low blood pressure resulting in hypotension, she added.
“The current dengue outbreak is concerning due to the co-occurrence of severe fever, thrombocytopenia, and dengue hepatitis, making it crucial for healthcare providers to be vigilant and manage these cases appropriately,” Dr. Baidya said.
‘Dengue occurs in more intense cycles every few years’
According to Dr Dipu TS, Associate Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases, Amrita Hospital, Kochi, in India, dengue fever not only follows seasonal patterns but also occurs in more intense cycles every few years.
“These periodic spikes can be attributed to several factors. After a major outbreak, community immunity may temporarily rise, reducing cases. However, as new, non-immune individuals enter the population, susceptibility increases, as does the shift in the predominant circulating serotype of the dengue virus. Environmental changes affecting mosquito breeding, rapid urbanization, and increased travel also contribute to these cyclical outbreaks,” Dr. Dipu told Financial Express.com.
Dr. Dipu also pointed out that climate change can indirectly affect the ecosystem in ways that contribute to spikes in dengue cases.
“Effective public health measures and awareness campaigns are crucial for managing these recurring waves. These include personal measures like using mosquito repellants, public measures like preventing water logging in the surroundings, reducing carbon emissions globally, and intensifying efforts to develop a successful dengue vaccine,” she added.
Things to keep in mind when suffering from dengue
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), you should take the following measures when dealing with dengue:
- Let your sick child or family member rest as much as possible.
- Do not give ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil), aspirin, or aspirin-containing drugs.
- Sponge the patient’s skin with cool water if fever remains high.
- Give acetaminophen or paracetamol (Tylenol) every 6 hours if needed for high fever (maximum 4 doses per day).
- Give plenty of fluids, and watch for signs of dehydration.
- Allow the sick child or family member to rest and sleep under a bed net or use insect repellant while feverish.
- Kill all mosquitoes in the house and empty containers that carry water on patios.
“One should hydrate oneself by taking plenty of liquids orally, take only Paracetamol and seek medical guidance in case of severe symptoms or abnormal blood investigation reports. There have been incessant rains throughout the country leading to more cases this year. As for any disease, prevention is better than cure, so we must contribute from our side to eliminate the breeding of mosquitoes, wear full sleeve clothes, and use mosquito repellents,” Dr. Sharma told Financial Express.com.
