There has been a dramatic upturn in hospitalizations from dengue, the vector borne disease in Odisha this year.
With 49 new cases surfacing on Saturday, the official figure for the number of patients suffering from the disease has climbed to 572, confirmed the state health department.
Cuttack district is hit hardest with 329 people including the latest 35 patients testing positive for the viral disease. Cuttack was followed by Angul, Balasore, Dhenkanal, J.S pur, Kendrapada, Keonjhar and Khurda.
Special dengue OPD’s
In order to control the sudden surge in dengue cases, a special outdoor patient department (OPD) has been created in a government hospital in Odisha. An OPD service was introduced at Sriram Chandra Bhanja (SCB) Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack on Saturday to tackle dengue patients.
In addition, exclusive dengue wards at SCB Medical College and Hospital at Cuttack, the Maharaja Krishna Chandra Gajapati Medical College and Hospital (MKCG) at Berhampur and Capital Hospital at Bhubaneswar are treating patients afflicted with the viral disease.
Around 91 patients are currently undergoing medical intervention at the SCB Medical College Hospital while others have been discharged after treatment. However, the current dengue virus infection is benign, given that no fatalities have been reported so far.
“Dengue is under control. Nobody has died of the disease so far. Those who have been found infected are recovering and out of danger”, said joint director of the state health department M.M. Pradhan.
A little about dengue
Dengue is a mosquito-borne disease caused by any one of four closely related dengue viruses. The virus is transmitted from person to person by Aedes mosquitoes (most often Aedes aegypti) in the tropical regions.
Dengue fever commonly referred to as “break bone fever,” is characterized by high fever developed within 3–14 days after the bite of an Aedes mosquito. Other symptoms include vomiting, headache, acute pain in joints and skin rash. The patient may also complain of anorexia and nausea. Acute symptoms, when present, usually last about a week, but weakness, malaise, and anorexia may persist for several weeks.
Some patients with dengue fever go on to develop Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF), a severe and sometimes fatal form of the disease.There is no specific or approved vaccine and treatment for dengue. The control of Aedes Aegypti mosquito is the only method of primary prevention. With early detection and proper case management and symptomatic treatment, mortality can be reduced substantially.
