Delhi reports highest dengue case count in 5 years. When to seek medical help?

The Delhi health minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Saurabh Bhardwaj on Sunday announced that the government has instructed officials to run dengue awareness campaigns in schools and among citizen to curb the spread of the vector-borne disease transmitted through mosquitoes.

“Hospitals will be made ready for dengue cases. I also had a discussion with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) commissioner regarding the same today,” Bharadwaj said.

Delhi Dengue Cases

According to Delhi Municipal Corporation (MCD), the number of dengue cases reported in first three weeks of July stood at nearly 65. It was 40 in June and 23 in May.

In addition, 61 cases of malaria have been recorded in the same period, MCD report stated. 

What is Dengue?

Dengue is a viral infection caused by the dengue virus (DENV), transmitted to humans through the bite of infected mosquitoes. The virus is transmitted to humans through the bites of infected female mosquitoes, primarily the Aedes aegypti mosquito.

According to experts, there are four dengue virus serotypes — DENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3 and DENV-4.

Health Minister Bharadwaj said genome sequencing of 20 dengue-positive samples in Delhi has showed that 19 of these had strain type-2.

Type-2 is a severe strain, from which there is risk to patients, but the trend also suggests that there is only one strain in circulation broadly, but “we all need to be cautious”, he said.

Delhi dengue: CM Kejriwal govt takes measures

-As part of measures to tackle the situation, the fine for mosquito breeding has been raised to ₹1,000 in case of households and ₹5,000 for commercial establishments

-Delhi CM directed the health department to reserve beds for dengue patients and ensure availability of medicines at hospitals and mohalla clinics

-Delhi government has declared hospitals as “zero-tolerance zones” for breeding of mosquito larvae, and all departments have been asked to ensure there is no breeding of mosquito larvae found in their office premises.

-Free dengue tests have been made available at mohalla clinics and dispensaries

-The 1031 helpline, which is a Covid helpine, will now cater to cases of dengue too

-The Directorate of Education and MCD have been asked to direct private and government schools to provide ‘Dengue Homework Cards’ to students to help monitor their homes

-CM Kejriwal also asked the director of education to ensure the strict implementation of wearing full-sleeve clothes and full pants in schools as preventive measures

Delhi dengue: When should you be worried?

Delhi Health minister said that one should not treat fever as simple fever. “Aspirin, disprin, ibuprofen, which further thin the blood, should not be taken by a dengue patient. A doctor should be consulted in case of fever,” the minister cautioned.

Richa Sareen, senior consultant, pulmonology, Fortis Hospital, told PTI, dengue is accompanied with high-grade fever and patients should keep themselves hydrated and not resort to self-medication.

“If a patient is feeling very weak and severely dehydrated due to bouts of vomiting and dizziness in head, then it’s a sign that the person should be hospitalised,” she said.

In the first 48 hours since the onset of symptoms, one should undergo NS1 antigen test, done to diagnose dengue infection, the doctor added.

A normal platelet count is between 1,50,000 and 4,00,000 per microliter of blood, and therefore this count should be properly monitored, she said.

Updated: 30 Jul 2023, 04:13 PM IST