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Dr Shalini Joshi In The News: Officials say dengue threat in city not too serious; doctors disagree - The Hindu - 6 July 2017




The Hindu 6 Jul 2017

Contrary to claims by the authorities that the dengue threat is under control in the city, hospitals are recording a rise in the number of patients suffering from dengue-like symptoms. They say they are also flooded with cases of viral fever and other viral ailments.
So much so that most hospitals are reporting a shortage of beds and accommodating patients in wards of all specialities. According to doctors, the disease is spreading at an “alarming rate” and there has been a significant surge in number of cases. The dengue-causing aedes aegypti mosquito breeds in freshwater and bites during the day.

At the State-run Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital, doctors are seeing an average of 20 suspected dengue cases a day. “All the 140 beds in the medicine ward are occupied and we are accommodating patients in wards of other specialities, whichever is available,” a spokesman of the hospital said.

The situation is similar in K.C. General Hospital and Victoria Hospitals, where doctors are seeing an average of 15 cases a day, most needing admission.

The Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health, which gets cases from across the State, is also flooded with patients. Its director Asha Benekappa said although the bed strength has been increased by 200, the wards get crammed sometimes. “In such a situation, we are discharging stable cases. Since mid-June, we have been seeing an average of 20 cases a day. At least three patients, who were brought late, have succumbed to the disease,” she said.

H. Sudarshan Ballal, chairman of Manipal Hospitals, asserted that private hospitals were cramped at the moment. “We have full occupancy and it is an epidemic-like situation. We are seeing patients with viral fever accompanied with dengue-like symptoms, such as onset of rashes, high fever, abnormal pain and vomiting. A combined effort by the civic authorities and citizens in containing mosquito breeding is the need of the hour,” he said.

Dr. Shalini Joshi, Internal Medicine consultant at Fortis Hospitals, Bannerghatta Road, said every patient who reports a viral illness has classic dengue symptoms with a drop in platelet count. The situation is alarming and is likely to worsen in the coming days, she said.

However, Lokesh M.N., Chief Health Officer (Public Health), Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), claimed there have been no deaths so far. “We have been regularly getting reports from 460 hospitals in the city. From January till date, 1,200 confirmed dengue cases have been recorded in the city. However, the situation is not alarming,” he said.

Platelets in high demand

With hospitals seeing an unusual rise in the number of dengue and viral fever cases, blood banks are finding it hard to meet the demand for whole blood and components, especially platelets.

According to sources, while most blood banks in the city are facing a demand of at least 120 units a day, they are able to supply only 60-70 units.

Disease rampant across the State

According to Health Department data, as many as 2,053 dengue-positive cases have been reported from across the State from January till date. These are just the official figures. Many more people have been infected by the dengue virus, say government hospital doctors.

Principal Secretary Shalini Rajneesh and Health Commissioner Subodh Yadav, who have been monitoring the situation, have declared second the Saturday and Sunday this month (July 8 and 9) as working days for hospitals across the State.