Dengue, viral fever cases rise in Hyderabad

Congenial weather during the ongoing monsoon has started to cause a spurt in cases of dengue and viral fevers in Hyderabad and surrounding districts. In the last one-week, cases of dengue have started to get reported in private nursing homes, clinics, speciality hospitals and Fever Hospital, Nallakunta.

A majority of the patients are being presented with high grade fever, body aches, rashes, low back ache, nose bleeding, low platelet count, and quite often a drop in the blood pressure. At Fever Hospital, in the last one week, the authorities have also registered a slight bump in the number of dengue and viral fevers.

“This is the ideal season for mosquito breeding and that’s why cases of dengue and even viral fevers have started to get reported. At present cases are not alarming. However, there are dengue positive patients who are receiving treatment at Fever Hospital and this is the time for the community to take precautions,” says Superintendent, Fever Hospital, Dr K Shankar.

The seasonal diseases expert said that patients and their relatives should understand that platelet transfusion is needed only if the blood platelet count falls below 20,000. Dr Shankar was alluding to instances where every year relatives of dengue patients desperately look for blood platelets for



transfusion.

“We have seen that private clinics and nursing homes unnecessarily prescribe blood transfusion even if patient has a platelet count of 80,000 or even 1,00,000. As a result, the families end-up incurring a lot of out of pocket expenditure while procuring platelets,” Dr Shankar said.

The most effective way to prevent dengue is not to allow mosquitoes to breed. Dengue is caused by a virus, which is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. Unlike the Culex mosquito, which causes malaria, Aedes is a day time biter and breeds prodigiously in clean water collections like rain water, pools, water collected in tyres, coconut shells etc.

Since Aedes is a day time biter, taking mosquito precautions during nights will not prevent the spread of dengue infection, a major reason why public health care institutions often find it difficult to contain dengue, when compared to malaria.

“Dengue mosquitos bite during day time and people must be cautious. They should observe dry day once a week, preferably Friday and empty all the water collecting points. Individual homes, offices and commercial establishments must remove water from their air-coolers and other small containers at least once a week,” says Director of Public Health, Dr G Srinivas Rao.