As many as 68 per cent of the 34,000 people from NCR who participated in a survey have either a family or friend who was affected by a vector-borne disease in the last month, says a study conducted by LocalCircles, one of the country’s citizen engagement platforms.
Doctors claim that besides chikungunya and dengue, there is another strain of virus that shows all symptoms of chikungunya or dengue, but primarily affects appetite and joints.
Data from the survey shows that south Delhi and Faridabad, a suburb, were among the most-affected areas. As many as 85 per cent of the 6,172 people from Faridabad who participated in the study claimed that a family member or friend had suffered from a vector-borne disease. Gurgaon, on the other hand, saw a lower number of cases with just 43 per cent of the 6,519 people included in the study saying that a relative or friend suffered from a vector-borne disease.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) asserts that the surveillance system for dengue should be part of the national health information system. In a recent paper, the WHO indicated that high endemic countries, such as India, should introducing a dengue vaccine.
Dr. Sanjay K. Rai, professor at the Centre for Community Medicine (AIIMS), who is a leading health specialist strongly recommends introducing dengue vaccines in India. “The current dengue prevention and control strategy is focused on vector control. Unless we see efficient implementation of these control mechanisms at the community level, the incidence will keep rising,” said Dr. Rai.
He added that dengue had four different serotypes, and infection with one type only provides life-long immunity against that particular type, not the other three. In fact sequential infection, he said, puts people at greater risk for severe dengue (dengue haemorrhagic fever). Since it is possible for a person to suffer from dengue up to four times in their life, it is vital that an effective vaccine be introduced.
Doctors say that prevention is the key to lowering the incidence of dengue in India with commercial access to the vaccine being critical.
Dr. S.P. Byotra, senior consultant and head of the Department of Internal Medicine at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, said: “Several endemic countries like Mexico and Brazil have already introduced the vaccine to complement vector-control programmes. We hope that by the end of this year it will be available in India too. Vector control, introduction of effective vaccines and accurate disease surveillance efforts are essential to curb dengue.” He added that most dengue patients recover in due course. Only about 10 per cent of the cases see severe complications that lead to internal haemorrhage .
