Dengue and viral fever made an early entry to the Capital, with city doctors warning that hospitals are seeing a rising number of patients coming in with complaints and complications related to the two diseases which routinely plague the city.
“Dengue seems to have made an early entry here, with at least three confirmed cases being reported till January 20. There are also cases of viral fever, throat, eye and nose infections, and respiratory infections. Children seem to be the worst affected,” said Anil Bansal of the Delhi Medical Council.
However, no cases of malaria or chikungunya have been reported according to a municipal report. Cases of dengue are usually reported between mid-July and November-end. Last year, at least 10 (five from Delhi and five from outside the city) died in Delhi due to dengue, with the vector-borne disease affecting 9,271 people. The official figure of dengue deaths in 2016 was also 10.
“In 2017, dengue claimed its first victim in the city on August 1. A 12-year-old boy had died of dengue shock syndrome at the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. According to data released by the South Delhi Municipal Corporation [SDMC], which tabulates data for the entire city, 4,726 patients of the total cases reported last year were from Delhi, while 4,545 had come to the Capital from other States for treatment,” noted a health official.
Manish Mohil, senior consultant, internal medicine, Pushpawati Singhania Research Institute (PSRI) Multi-Speciality Hospital, said: “Dengue is a fast-emerging viral disease in many parts of the world. The dengue virus is transmitted by the female Aedes aegypti mosquito. It is mainly a disease of urban poor areas, suburbs and countryside but also affects more affluent neighbourhoods in tropical and subtropical countries.”
Dr. Mohil added that incidence of dengue had increased 30-fold over the past 50 years.
“There is extensive genetic variability of the dengue serotypes. Distinct genotypes have been identified within each serotype. Among them, Asian genotypes of DEN-2 and DEN-3 are frequently associated with severe disease accompanying secondary dengue infection,” he explained.
