City sees rise in dengue cases

The current lull in the monsoon period has resulted in a sharp increase in the incidence of dengue cases in the city even as doctors have said that this particular strain of the disease is becoming difficult to detect.

According to Dr Shahid Barmare, consultant physician at Kohinoor Hospital, Kurla, the reason for the increase in this disease is that the monsoon has not been active since last few days and this has resulted in puddles of water being formed. “The mosquitoes that cause dengue are known to breed in clear and stagnant water and this is happening at many places,” he said.

The doctor said that even when the patients come to the hospital for treatment, the tests carried out on them is sometimes coming out as negative. “If the test is done in the early stages, there is a possibility that it may come out as negative and the doctor may miss the condition,” he said. Therefore, it is important to carry out another test on the patient after sometime and check to see if he is suffering from dengue or any other disease.

In fact, there have also been cases where the patients have come with symptoms of cold and cough along with fever, Dr Barmare said. It was only after carrying out tests that it was realised that the patient suffered from this dengue and appropriate treatment was started, he added. “Early diagnosis, early consultation and early treatment are very important in treatment of dengue,” he said.

It is important for the patients to understand that if they have symptoms like high fever, vomiting and stomach ache, then they should immediately consult a doctor, he cautioned. It is important that the patient does not go into a complication like the Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, since this can be fatal, Dr Barmare said. “In a lot of cases, there is no need for hospitalisation and the can be treated at home and is advised to eat a lot of fruits and vegetables and drink a lot of fluids,” Dr Barmare said.

According to Dr Amar Pajare, head of medicine, KEM Hospital, there has been a surge in the number of dengue cases in recent days and this is normal for this period. “This period of August, September and October are known for having a high number of dengue cases though every effort is being made to keep the number under control,” he said.