Dengue threat looms large over city
15 Oct 2012 5:56 AM IST
With nearly 400 ‘official’ dengue cases reported so far and 30 on Saturday [13 October] alone, the threat of a dengue outbreak in Delhi looms large.
The South Delhi Municipal Corporation has so far reported the highest number of around 150 cases, with the North and East Delhi Municipal Corporations trailing not far behind, reporting approximately 140 and 70 cases respectively.
While the rough estimated number of dengue cases being reported in Delhi is around 30 per day, doctors in most major Delhi hospitals say they are getting at least 20 cases every day.
‘The situation is not good at all, we are getting at least 20-30 dengue cases every day,’ said Atul Gogia from the premier Sir Ganga Ram Hospital of Delhi.
‘Most of our beds are filled with dengue patients,’ says Vivek Nangia from Delhi’s Fortis hospital.
‘Lots of patients are coming with dengue symptoms every day,’ the doctor said.
The doctors, however, did not divulge the exact number of cases coming to the hospitals as the municipal corporation has asked them not to provide figures to media.
Director of National Vector Born Disease Control programme A C Dhariwal said private hospitals are reporting high number of cases because they are taking a ‘rapid diagnostic test’, which is not reliable.
‘Private hospitals usually take rapid diagnostic test for dengue, which is not reliable,’ Dhariwal said. ‘We treat those cases as suspect and do not register them. The official figures include only ELISA test-based results,’ he said.
An ELISA test uses components of the immune system and chemicals to detect immune responses in the body, to infectious microbes. The ELISA test involves an enzyme and also involves an antibody or antigen, and is more accurate.
Talking about the preventive steps needed, Gogia says avoiding mosquito bites is the first step.
‘Avoiding Aedes Aegypti mosquito bites during the day, spraying insecticide in the morning, using mosquito repellent cream and other things should be done,’ he says.
Nangia adds that in case of fever, a lot of fluid should be taken and only paracetamol should be taken to control fever.
‘If one gets fever, take a lot of fluid and take only paracetamol to control fever. Do not take anti-biotics,’ he said.
‘The platelets start dropping only after fever comes down. That is when the patient needs to be in hospital. Also, there is no point in getting a blood test done initially as the situation of platelets is known only after first two days or so,’ he added.
As per official figures, only one dengue death has been reported in this season, which was a nine-year-old girl who died at the All India Institute of Medical Science last month.
‘The officials of the corporation are making efforts to contain the disease through fumigation and awareness through various media. But the season is most suitable for dengue, which is why the cases are rising,’ said N K Yadav, nodal officer for dengue and malaria of MCD.
So far, the city has recorded 393 confirmed cases of dengue, which were only 346 in the corresponding period in 2011.
The maximum, 59, cases of dengue have been reported from south Delhi area, followed by 44 from central Delhi and 41 from Shahdara south region of east Delhi.
Of the total 393 cases reported so far, 159 have come from South Delhi Municipal Corporation [SDMC] area while 146 from North Delhi Municipal Corporation [NDMC] and 71 from East Delhi.
The South Delhi Municipal Corporation has so far reported the highest number of around 150 cases, with the North and East Delhi Municipal Corporations trailing not far behind, reporting approximately 140 and 70 cases respectively.
While the rough estimated number of dengue cases being reported in Delhi is around 30 per day, doctors in most major Delhi hospitals say they are getting at least 20 cases every day.
‘The situation is not good at all, we are getting at least 20-30 dengue cases every day,’ said Atul Gogia from the premier Sir Ganga Ram Hospital of Delhi.
‘Most of our beds are filled with dengue patients,’ says Vivek Nangia from Delhi’s Fortis hospital.
‘Lots of patients are coming with dengue symptoms every day,’ the doctor said.
The doctors, however, did not divulge the exact number of cases coming to the hospitals as the municipal corporation has asked them not to provide figures to media.
Director of National Vector Born Disease Control programme A C Dhariwal said private hospitals are reporting high number of cases because they are taking a ‘rapid diagnostic test’, which is not reliable.
‘Private hospitals usually take rapid diagnostic test for dengue, which is not reliable,’ Dhariwal said. ‘We treat those cases as suspect and do not register them. The official figures include only ELISA test-based results,’ he said.
An ELISA test uses components of the immune system and chemicals to detect immune responses in the body, to infectious microbes. The ELISA test involves an enzyme and also involves an antibody or antigen, and is more accurate.
Talking about the preventive steps needed, Gogia says avoiding mosquito bites is the first step.
‘Avoiding Aedes Aegypti mosquito bites during the day, spraying insecticide in the morning, using mosquito repellent cream and other things should be done,’ he says.
Nangia adds that in case of fever, a lot of fluid should be taken and only paracetamol should be taken to control fever.
‘If one gets fever, take a lot of fluid and take only paracetamol to control fever. Do not take anti-biotics,’ he said.
‘The platelets start dropping only after fever comes down. That is when the patient needs to be in hospital. Also, there is no point in getting a blood test done initially as the situation of platelets is known only after first two days or so,’ he added.
As per official figures, only one dengue death has been reported in this season, which was a nine-year-old girl who died at the All India Institute of Medical Science last month.
‘The officials of the corporation are making efforts to contain the disease through fumigation and awareness through various media. But the season is most suitable for dengue, which is why the cases are rising,’ said N K Yadav, nodal officer for dengue and malaria of MCD.
So far, the city has recorded 393 confirmed cases of dengue, which were only 346 in the corresponding period in 2011.
The maximum, 59, cases of dengue have been reported from south Delhi area, followed by 44 from central Delhi and 41 from Shahdara south region of east Delhi.
Of the total 393 cases reported so far, 159 have come from South Delhi Municipal Corporation [SDMC] area while 146 from North Delhi Municipal Corporation [NDMC] and 71 from East Delhi.
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