Eastern India Health department gears up to check spreading of Dengue

Monsoon rains provide more breeding grounds for the mosquito that carries the dengue virus. In India, dengue cases usually peak during and just after the rainy season that normally lasts from June to September.

More than half the Indian states were affected by the deadly disease in 2017. Delhi, Maharasthra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Kerala were the worst-affected regions. To address the dengue situation in Eastern India, primarily West Bengal, AMRI Hospitals in Kolkata has started an awareness campaign on social media, with the tag #AMRIagainstDengue, as well as created adequate medical facilities to address patients afflicted with the disease.

The disease, which hits its peak between June and September, has a lot of serious implications not just for the health of individuals but also for healthcare facilities. This year as well, the conditions are pointing towards a possible outbreak in Eastern India. However, the government administration, as well as private healthcare enterprises like AMRI, has created a buffer to counter the disease at the very ground level. In addition to the mobile care units in Kolkata by the West Bengal government, there also have been sufficient awareness initiative in the region to combat the very basic problems associated with Dengue.

On that line, AMRI has been particularly proactive with their social channels — publishing news, social posts and campaigns. In addition to their social work, AMRI Hospital Dhakuria has also planned to organize an Anti-Dengue month throughout August. Doctors at AMRI Hospitals have also geared up to combat any critical situation.

“We have made special arrangements for the patients being admitted to the hospital. There are separate wards where trained staff is available 24X7 to tackle emergency cases,” says the doctor at AMRI Hospital.

Here are a few facts you must know in order to beat dengue –

Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are responsible for spreading dengue. They breed in stagnant, fresh water. When the mosquito bites a person, the virus is passed into the blood stream, causing complications.

A person only gets symptoms after 7 to 10 days of getting bitten by an infected mosquito. It causes severe joint pain, nausea, abdominal cramps, fever, bleeding from gums, nose or ear.

Some patients also develop a hemorrhagic fever that may cause death from shock or even cause multiple-organ failure. These complications make it a deadly disease.

In the last few years, dengue outbreaks were reported from a number of countries across the tropics, putting 3.5 billion people at risk of infection.

Around 390 million people get infected with dengue in more than 100 countries. Children and the elderly are more vulnerable to this disease.

Early management of symptoms can prevent complications. People often get treated symptomatically, which is good.

There is a need to get tested if symptoms last for 2–3 days or get worse with every minute. Although dengue has no cure, the symptoms can be managed if things are controlled at the earliest.

SOURCE: diet2x.com

Ways to prevent dengue virus from spreading in Kolkata

The World Health Organization (WHO), ranked dengue as the most critical mosquito-borne viral disease worldwide. Over the past 50 years, the disease has rapidly spread with a 30-fold increase globally.

Dengue is a human virus primarily transmitted by the Aedes Aegypti mosquito. It can be classified into four serotypes, where all of them can cause disease amongst human beings. Serotypes are group of microorganisms that are closely related.

In more than 100 countries, over 40 per cent of the world’s population is at a risk of dengue fever. In 2017, India witnessed a rise of 11,832 dengue cases. Amongst the total cases, over 18,000 people were affected by the vector-borne disease in Kolkata that year. A number of deaths were recorded in the city, which doctors attribited to dengue.

A consultant from AMRI Hospital said, “Symptoms of viral fever are very close to that of dengue. So, we are recommending blood tests to rule out dengue to all patients suffering from fever with allied symptoms like headache, body ache, nausea and weakness. Especially, if the symptoms don’t recede within 2–3 days, a dengue test must be done.”

SYMPTOMS OF THE DENGUE VIRUS

Mostly, people infected with the dengue virus show mild or symptoms. Only 1 out of 4 infected people get sick. Most of them confuse such mild symptoms with other flu-like illnesses. Doctors of the best hospitals in Kolkata highlighted the most common symptoms of the virus:

• Fever for 3 to 7 days
• Intense headache
• Muscle, joint, or bone pain
• Eye pain (typically behind the eyes)
• Loss of appetite
• Rash
• Nausea, diarrhea and vomiting
• Unusual bleeding (this may include, nose or gum bleed, unusual bruising, or small red spots under the skin)

WAYS TO PREVENT:

Specialist from the best hospitals in Kolkata recommend controlling fever and pain with paracetamol, rather than aspirin, besides increasing fluid intake. They also highlighted that aspirin may aggravate bleeding. Let’s look at some of the highlights of the vector-borne disease:

• Preventing infected people from schools, colleges or workplaces is not necessary. However, they must always avoid any environment where they are prone to getting bitten by mosquitoes
• The infection of dengue virus cannot be prevented by any vaccine
• Environmental management of mosquitoes and personal protection is crucial in preventing the dengue virus from speading
• An infected person with fever must be prevented from environments infested with Aedes Aegypti mosquitoes
• People should strive to protect themselves from mosquito bites at all times, especially in dengue-hit areas

Experts from the best hospitals in Kolkata, including AMRI Hospital and Belle Vue, among others, suggest that as the virus is spreading in the city, people must take all the necessary precautions.

SOURCE : bestservice.com