Dengue Fever Engulfs Delhi, With Surge in Cases Among Children

Amid the declining number of COVID-19 cases in Delhi, the Dengue outbreak has caused havoc in India's capital.

Many government hospitals are struggling to tackle the growing number of dengue cases in Delhi.

Earlier this week, a 35-year-old woman from South Delhi succumbed to dengue and became the first fatality due to the vector-borne disease reported in the city this year.

Hospitals like Safdarjung Hospital, GTB Hospital, Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) hospital, Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital, and LNJP Hospital are swamped with dengue cases.

Some patients are reportedly forced to share beds or lie on the floor of these hospitals in order to get treatment.

Some doctors also revealed that there has been a huge rise in dengue among children since last month. The doctors are concerned, as the severity of dengue this year is comparatively worse than last year.

According to the Dengue outbreak report by the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP), 1,269 dengue cases were reported last year.

"We are getting 10-15 children for Dengue every day. Currently, we have some children admitted due to dengue, some of the cases are severe. Children are coming up with a high-grade fever and low platelets. The minimum platelets we have seen among children are 10,000. Children have symptoms like high-grade fever, abdominal pain, body pain, vomiting, and loose motions, and decreased oral intake. Symptoms like rashes, continuous fever for three days, and bleeding are extremely important to look out for," Dr. Meena J, Consultant- Paediatrics & Neonatology, Aakash Healthcare, Dwarka, Delhi, told Sputnik.

According to a report Delhi's civic body released on Monday, one death due to dengue and 723 dengue cases had been recorded as of 16 October.

Reportedly, it is the highest case count since 2018 for the same period. In the month of October, over 380 dengue cases were reported, which is the highest number of cases recorded so far in a month this year.

"Eight to 10 patients are coming dengue positive per day in our Hospital. Some of the patients coming from outside Delhi have low platelets because they don't have facilities for transfusion there. Some of the patients' treatment gets delayed as they ignored symptoms, thinking it to be a seasonal issue. Some of the patients have platelets as low as 5000," Dr. Rakesh Pandit, Senior Consultant & HOD- Internal Medicine, Aakash Healthcare, Dwarka, Delhi told Sputnik.

Dr. Pandit said that the common symptoms like lack of appetite, headaches, backache, vomiting, and nausea for three to four days shouldn't be ignored.

Platelets start declining after five days of recurrent fever. He also informed that the majority of the patients are young men and women in the age group of 18-30 years.

"Women may face breakthrough bleeding and extensive flow through periods and they may get prolonged. People should not panic and seek consultation before having goat milk, as unpasteurised milk is unhealthy and may cause other health problems. Affected people can have coconut water; ORS to build immunity, and fluids therapy are given and antibiotics are given," Dr. Pandit said.

The symptoms of vector-borne diseases like Malaria, dengue, and chikungunya are accompanied by high fever and doctors are concerned that people might suspect of having contracted COVID-19 which may delay the right diagnosis and treatment.

Meanwhile, the civic bodies, as well as the state authorities, have intensified measures to tackle the outbreak across Delhi.