Dengue Spread, Viral Fever, to UP Agra, Kanpur; West Bengal, too

Viral fever and dengue cases are not now confined to one section of the country. What began in Uttar Pradesh as a mysterious fever has now been spread to other countries as well as dengue and virus fever. All suspected cases of dengue and virus are reported in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, and even West Bengal. What’s even more concerning is that children are a large part of the infected patients.

In Uttar Pradesh, Firozabad is the epicentre of the dengue outbreak as the district has recorded 60 deaths due to the viral fever till September 14. Most of the victims are children. Even as Firozabad is battling the dengue outbreak, other parts of Uttar Pradesh are also reporting a sharp rise in the cases of viral fever.

In Kanpur, three people died of suspected viral fever. Nirmala (60), Vaibhavi (8) and Araul K Shanti (65) are the three victims. Anil Nigam, Chief Medical Superintendent (CMS) of Ursula hospital in Kanpur, said around 75-100 patients with complaints of fever are coming to their facility every day. He informed me that only two patients have been diagnosed with dengue.

At least 97 dengue cases have been confirmed in Prayagraj, though, fortunately, no casualty has been reported so far. Kanpur Chief Medical Officer Nanak Saran said nine of the 97 patients are currently being treated in hospitals while warning that the city is expected to record more such cases.

Agra CMO Arun Kumar Shrivastava said they have 35 dengue patients of which 14 are undergoing treatment in multiple hospitals. He said the hospitals have been directed to inform the authorities if any dengue case comes up.

West Bengal has also reported dozens of suspected dengue and viral fever cases. Around 70 children are admitted to Siliguri district hospital with fever and respiratory problems. Paediatrician Dr Subir Bhowmik said most of these 70 children are under five months old.

State Health Secretary Narayan Swaroop Nigam, however, said that none of the children in North Bengal has tested positive for dengue yet, though they are trying to find the exact cause of the mystery illness.