There’s dengue too

There’s dengue too
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With the rains, B’luru will witness dengue cases; don’t confuse them with Covid-19, say docs

With India Meteorological Department declaring that the onset of South West (SW) monsoon has started in Karnataka and Bengaluru will receive rainfall in a few days, waterlogging will become a major issue. In addition to the Covid-19 pandemic, city doctors predict rise in dengue cases due to this phenomenon in the coming weeks.

Dr Sanjiv Rao, Consultant - Internal Medicine, Manipal Hospitals, said, “Chances of drinking water getting contaminated by rain, sewage and drain water is extremely high. Pure drinking water in residential areas can be acquired by boiling RO and ultraviolet light sterilization. With the onset of monsoon, there will be spurt in cases of mosquito-borne diseases.”

Dr Prakash Doraiswamy, Senior Consultant - Anaesthesia and Critical Care, Aster CMI Hospital, said, “Dengue is a seasonal, viral infection, and most people affected by it are asymptomatic. Though the incidence of death due to dengue has come down, dengue occurrence is common between July and November. It has become difficult to eradicate the disease as our environment is full of breeding grounds for mosquitoes.”

“However, this year, sanitisation measures taken by Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and lesser construction work may help in reducing cases. So far, we have had only one case of dengue. Practicing social distancing and staying at home will reduce exposure to mosquitoes. Use mosquito repellent liquids or cream at home during this time,” said Dr S N Aravinda, Consultant - Internal Medicine, Aster RV Hospital.

Doctors also say this will bring a tidal wave of vector-borne diseases like dengue, malaria, Chikungunya and leptospirosis. “We’ll also see an increase in gastroenteritis and typhoid soon. The only way to reduce these diseases is by controlling mosquito breeding grounds,” said, Dr Sheetal Kamath, Senior Consultant - Internal Medicine, Apollo Hospitals.

However, this will not increase Covid-19 cases. Dr Pramod V Satya, Consultant – Internal Medicine, Vikram Hospital, said, “We know that Covid-19 transmission do not take place through dirt and water, unlike dengue. However, people need to continue with the safety precautions. Dengue cases have already started to appear. They will peak by mid-monsoon. Fogging, disinfectant (DDT) sprays, mosquito repellents, avoiding water stagnation and other measures should be taken to prevent mosquito breeding. Early diagnosis and timely treatment is the key.”

Dr Shylaja Shyamsunder, Consultant - Internal Medicine, BGS Gleneagles Global Hospital, said, “It is the responsibility of the society to minimise stress on the BBMP workers during the pandemic. Since the antibodies of two diseases can give mixed and give confusing results, one should be extremely careful, especially in the first few days of the infection. Most features are similar and only severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) may be more in Covid-19 cases. Patients with NS1 positive may lean towards the possibility of dengue, while patients with IgG and IgM positive might need to be tested for Covid-19. However, for any kind of fever, being cautious and testing for Covid-19 is better.”

Healthcare workers in other states are already overwhelmed and new diseases will crash the ailing infrastructure. Prevention is better than cure, said Dr Sheela Chakravarthy, director - Internal Medicine, Fortis Hospital.


Symptoms of dengue

* As the virus takes time to multiply and replicate within the host organism -- a period of 2 to 7 days in case of a human being -- there would be an abrupt fever in the end.
* Other symptoms include headache, orbital pain, muscle or joint pains, which is typical of any viral infection. Gradually, after 2 to 3 days, there would be a recovery phase when the fever would subside.
* The first signs of the infection are fever, body and joint aches, headache and pain behind the eye muscles


Precautions

It is difficult to avoid mosquito bites. But as per government guidelines, wear full-sleeved shirts and cover yourself up during the day. Make sure the environment is clean and there is no breeding ground nearby. Use minimal dosage of anti-mosquito repellents.
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