viral

Following a significant increase in the number of dengue, viral, and scrub typhus infections among children in hospitals, doctors in the national capital have urged people to take preventive measures against these diseases.

According to Dr Dhiren Gupta, Sr Pediatrician at Sir Gangaram Hospital, instances are anticipated to rise more in the following two months due to the humid weather.

In Sir Gangaram Hospital, out of 100 cases in OPD, most of the children are testing positive of dengue, viral fever and scrub typhus, reports ANI.

“For past 15 days, it has been dominantly viral, but it is majorly of daily fever cases. Though if we are getting 100 patients in OPD then 50 per cent of patients are of dengue, 40 per cent viral especially of influenza, and another infection that is a respiratory syncytial virus which we call RSV and in 10 per cent we are getting scrub typhus from Delhi especially from green areas where a lot of greenery is there,” said Dr Gupta.

Cases of the viral infection transmitted by the day-biting mosquito Aedes aegyptii mosquito started in the month of August. The cases are likely to start reducing after temperature dips in October.

According to Dr Mamta Jajoo, Professor Pediatrics, Head of the office, Chacha Nehru Hospital, and exponentially high number of viral fever cases have also been reported in the hospital.

“Cases of viral fever among children is exponentially high this year. The OPD is functioning 24*7. Normally OPD sees 700/800 patients every day, but for the last one week more than 1,800 patients are coming each day only during the day and evening time. We are seeing approx 300 patients each night,” Jajoo said.

“Have not received any corona positive patients these days but can’t loosen up. 100 per cent of out ICU beds are occupied and even more. This is just in the case of viral fever. Cases of dengue, malaria will tend to increase with time due to heavy continuous showers,” she added.

Further Dr Gupta also said that many dengue patients are landing in ICU this time, “Now past 15 days that many of the Dengue cases are actually landing in ICU. Almost 50 per cent of our ICU is occupied by dengue infection, and they are very complicated in form of a lot of bleeding, a lot of multi-organ failure.”

On prevention, Dr Gupta said, “need to take care of stagnant water. Mosquito usually breeds in freshwater which is not flowing at individual at house level. We need to prevent the accumulation of water around.”

He also emphasized that, “Nowadays, unfortunately, many of anti-mosquito repellent are not working. Mosquitoes have become a little resistant to those smells you can say.”

The central government has suggested some actions to handle dengue outbreak situation in Uttar Pradesh’s Firozabad district, which has so far recorded over 50 deaths due to the disease and viral fever.

A central team comprising officials from National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) were sent to Firozabad to investigate the cause of fever outbreak and deaths among children.

In a letter to the UP chief secretary, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said that the central team has found that majority of cases of viral fever and deaths among children in Firozabad were due to dengue, a few cases were of scrub typhus and leptospirosis.

“The central team has observed that the majority of cases are due to dengue, while a few are because of Scrub Typhus and Leptospirosis,” Bhushan said in the letter. He also stated that Vector Indices were also found to be high with House Index and Container Index, both above 50% in Firozabad district.

He suggested a number of follow-up measures to contain the disease.

– All fever patients to be screened for dengue, malaria, scrub typhus and leptospirosis

– Need to strengthen ELISA based testing facilities.

– Activities related to fever survey, vector control and fever camps to continue as per micro plan submitted by the central team.

– Surveillance to be strengthened with implementation of IHIP in the district in coordination with CSU IDSP, NCDC.

– Entomological activities to be strengthened and continued as per standard guidelines.

– Isolation beds and admission facilities in District Hospital of Firozabad and neighboring districts to be augmented.

– Organise a short reorientation of all doctors at PHC, CHC and district hospital cum medical college of Firozabad and neighbouring districts on recent guidelines for management of dengue, scrub typhus and leptospirosis.

“Services of experts on infectious diseases from KGMU and similar institutions may be utilized for this purpose”.