As dengue cases spike, AIIMS reports 16 new cases in a day

NEWDELHI: The dengue situation in the city is likely to worsen in coming weeks with hospitals such as the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) reporting 16 new cases of the mosquito-borne viral infection in a single day on Thursday.

Most patients admitted to the hospital, who tested positive in the October 11 report, are under 35 years of age, according to AIIMS data that HT has accessed.

Twenty-six people are still admitted to the hospital with a confirmed dengue diagnosis.

The weekly dengue data compiled by the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) also shows that 169 cases were reported in the week ending on October 6. This is significantly higher than the week ending September 15, when 106 cases were reported. October and November months are considered peak season for spread of vector-borne diseases.

“After rains, the number of High fever, rashes, severe headache, pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pain, nausea, vomiting and loss of appetite are common

Use mosquito nets and apply repellent on skin

Wear long-sleeved shirts and long trousers

Eliminate mosquito-breeding sites

Don’t let water stagnate anywhere; keep air-coolers dry or put kerosene in them

cases of mosquito-borne illnesses tend to go up. October and November is considered peak time for reporting of cases, before the disease starts settling down with setting in of the winter,” said a civic official, requesting anonymity. “The numbers this year are less in comparison to previous two years.”

So far, 650 dengue cases have been reported in the city, according to the SDMC data; however, the number is less than the 2,152 cases that were reported in the same period in 2017, and 1,512 till the corresponding period in 2016.

However, the numbers and hospitalisations are less this year because the dengue strain in circulation is Type-3 that is known to be less virulent. Dengue has four strains, and Type-2 and 4 are known to have severe disease manifestation and normally require hospitalisation. Dengue Strain Type-1 and Type-3 are less potent.

“This year has been easy as far severity of the disease is considered. There’s no panic situation fortunately this year,” said Dr RK Singal, director, medicine, BLK Super-speciality Hospital.