Delhi is facing its worst dengue crisis in five years and with the death of 25-year-old girl Monika from Sagarpur near Delhi Cantonment, on Wednesday night, the toll this season has touched 30.
The city has reported nearly 4,000 positive dengue cases since the beginning of the year with the maximum coming in this month. The State Health Department has started sending a recorded phone message by Health Minister Satyendar Jain to people informing them about the fever clinics and free treatment for the disease.
While doctors have cautioned people against self-medication and delaying proper treatment, they have now appealed to the Health Department to issue strict warnings against use of magic or home remedies to fight dengue.
“Aloe vera, papaya leaves, goat milk and giloy are not medicines to either protect or treat dengue,” said Delhi Medical Council registrar Dr. Girish Tygai.
Hesaid, “The Health Department should make it clear to people that they should seek immediate treatment in case they have symptoms of dengue. Magic cures/remedies and home treatment can be harmful.”
There is no scientific proof that magic remedies and herbs can improve the condition of patient diagnosed with dengue, said health experts.
Dr. S.K. Sharma, head of medicine department, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), “There is no scientific evidence or research based on which it can be conclusively said that these herbs and fruits can be effective. For prescribing something like this, there has to be a proper trial on their use.”
“Fatality rate in dengue cases is just 0.3 per cent and 99 per cent of patients can be cured with proper treatment and care at home. But treatment has to be standardised and offered without delay,” said Dr. Anil Goswami, assistant professor at the Centre for Community Medicine, AIIMS.
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has said that people with obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease need to be more cautious.
“Hypertension, for instance, is characterised by blood pressure higher than the normal range. If a hypertensive patient suffers from dengue, a disease characterised by a drop in the blood pressure of the body, warning signs of complications may go unnoticed since his BP will still be within the normal range. In addition, if a dengue patient suffers from obesity, he runs a higher risk of capillary leakage as compared to a person with a normal body mass index,” said a release issued by the IMA on Thursday.
