Dengue Menance : 2,500 dengue cases this season, 24% from Patiala

With alarm bells ringing from Kerala to New Delhi over the rapidly increasing cases of dengue, it’s no different in Punjab. With around 2,500 confirmed dengue cases reported already, the state is in the severe grip of the vector-borne disease.

Facts :

• Patiala, the home district of Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, Health Minister Brahm Mohindra and Local Bodies Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, tops the chart with 595 cases.
• It is followed by Sangrur (303 cases), Mohali (261), Jalandhar (194), Mansa (183) and Kapurthala (157).
• Experts say this can be another bad year for the state. With more than 15,000 cases reported last year, Punjab was among the top five worst-hit states in the country.
• Till mid-October last year, about 3,500 dengue cases were reported; the figure is likely to be crossed this week only.
• It is the fourth consecutive year when state’s facing one of the country’s worst dengue outbreak.
• On an average, 200 confirmed cases of dengue are reported every day.
• Brahm Mohindra said the dengue outbreak needed to be dealt with by 11 departments.
• The Health Department steps in when a patient walks into hospital with dengue-like symptoms. Our role is only to provide treatment; the prevention part has to be taken care of by Local Bodies, Rural Development and other departments. As for the Health Department, it is prepared to deal with any challenge.

Worst-hit districts :

District                                       Cases

Patiala                                          595
Sangrur                                        303
Mohali                                           261
Jalandhar                                     194
Mansa                                          183
Kapurthala                                   157

Yearwise cases :

Year                                          Cases

2014                                          472
2015                                         14,128
2016                                         10,439
2017                                         15,108

Analysis :

• Experts say this can be another bad year for the state.The experts blame it on the weak mosquito breeding control prorgramme in the state.
• According to department experts, the next one-and-a-half months will be crucial as the number of cases will hit the peak.
• After mid-November, the number will start declining as the night temperature will come down to 15 degree Celsius. Cold is not considered conducive for the breeding of mosquitoes.
• Also, Dengue infections take place because of pools of water inside houses. The dengue larvae takes 7-10 days to develop into an adult, thus, if care is taken to remove all breeding places at least once a week, the spread can be controlled to a large degree.
• There is need to establish a dengue control programme with regular budgetary provisions.
• There should be stern action against those who are found failing in discharging their statutory duties and public law obligations.

DENGUE :

• Dengue is caused by the bite of an infected Aedes aegypti mosquito. Aedes is a day biter i.e. it bites during the day time. Aedes aegypti is also known as TIGER mosquito due to presence of white stripes on its wings and legs. These mosquitoes usually breed in clean water collections in containers, tanks, disposable junk material such as discarded buckets utensils tyres flower pots etc. All such containers should be emptied regularly, atleast once a week to stop breeding of these mosquitos. Dengue can present as : A. Dengue Fever (DF) B. Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever (DHF)/ Dengue Shock Syndrome (DSS)

A.Dengue Fever : Signs and Symptoms of Dengue Fever:

• Abrupt onset of high fever
• Severe frontal headache
• Pain behind the eyes which worsens with eye movement
• Muscle and joint pains
• Loss of sense of taste and appetite
• Measles-like rash over chest and upper limbs
• Nausea and vomiting

B.Signs and Symptoms of Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever (DHF)/ Dengue Shock Syndrome (DSS) :

• Symptoms similar to dengue fever
• Severe continuous stomach pains
• Skin becomes pale, cold or clammy
• Bleeding from nose, mouth & gums and skin rashes
• Frequent vomiting with or without blood
• Sleepiness and restlessness
• Patient feels thirsty and mouth becomes dry
• Rapid weak pulse

Activities for Dengue :

• Early Diagnosis and Prompt Treatment (EDPT)
• Vector Control

Early Diagnosis and Prompt Treatment (EDPT) :

Early diagnosis of a suspected case of Dengue is very important to decrease morbidity and mortality due to Dengue. A physician/ medical officer can suspect a fever case to be a suspected case of Dengue by recognizing the signs and symptoms of the disease. Laboratory confirmation of a suspected case can be done by Ig M Mac ELISA test for Dengue which is done free of cost at 10 Sentinel Surveillance Hospitals throughout Punjab as identified by GOI. The testing kits are supplied free of cost by GOI from NIV (National Institute of Virology) Pune. From 2011, as per recommendations of GOI, testing with NS1 Ag ELISA kits will be started at these SSHs in Punjab in the early stage of dengue for early diagnosis. Treatment is provided free of cost to all the patients of Dengue at all the Health centres throughout the State of Punjab.

Activities Undertaken for Management and Control of Dengue :

• Control Rooms have been established at the State level and all the distt. headquarters to collect & give any information regarding vector borne diseases and to provide necessary information to the public regarding Vector Borne Diseases.
• Rapid Response Teams have been constituted in all the districts of Punjab at the distt. and sub-divisional level to provide prompt medical relief to the patients suffering from Vector Borne Disease & Water Borne Disease.
• Blood Component Separators have been installed in all the 20 districts of Punjab for management of serious cases of Dengue.
• Aphresis Machines have been installed in 6 districts namely Ludhiana, Amritsar, Bathinda, Jalandhar, Sangrur and SAS Nagar for management of severe cases of Dengue.
• IEC activities had been undertaken and will be undertaken throughout the State from July onwards which will be celebrated as Anti Dengue Month, throughout the transmission season of dengue.
• Staff under Urban Malaria Scheme sprayed the insecticides for Vector Control in the urban areas.
• State Task Force:State task force has been established under the chair of Chief Secretary, Punjab for intersectoral coordination and reviewing the prevention, control and management of vector borne diseases throughout the State. Similarly District level monitoring committees have been constituted under the chair of respective Deputy Commissioners for intersectoral coordination for prevention, control & management of vector borne diseases.
• Public Advisories are issued regularly in the newspapers as follows:
  i. To sprinkle burnt oil in the stagnant water.
  ii. To keep the water pots covered.
  iii. To keep over head water tanks tightly covered.
  iv. To prevent stagnation of water in the broken bottles, flower pots, buckets, tyres etc.
  v. To use mosquito nets, Mosquito repellent oils & creams etc.
   

By: Harman Sandhu