Date:26/11/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/11/26/stories/2007112656650100.htm

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Dengue back with a vengeance

Sahana Charan

‘Bangalore’s climate is conducive for breeding of mosquito larvae’

20 children admitted in the Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health early this month
Some have gone into dengue shock syndrome where fluid accumulates in the lungs

BANGALORE: After a lull, dengue fever is back in the city with a vengeance. Hospitals are getting patients with suspected dengue almost every day with one death being reported a month ago.

This month, St. Philomena’s Hospital in Ashoknagar received 80 patients with symptoms similar to dengue. The hospital has been recording at least three cases of suspected dengue on a daily basis in the past two months.

“Patients include children and adults, and show symptoms such as low blood platelet count and bleeding. At present, we have three patients who are undergoing treatment for dengue haemorrhagic fever,” Shankar Prasad, medical director of St. Philomena’s Hospital, said. Dr. Prasad said that patients were coming to the hospital from urban and rural areas of Bangalore. But the maximum number of patients was from the surrounding areas of Ashok Nagar, Vivek Nagar and Ejipura in the city.

According to Victoria Hospital authorities, 14 cases of confirmed dengue have been reported in the past two months and there have been five unconfirmed cases. Serious complications of dengue claimed a life in the hospital a month ago. Dengue is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that breed in clean and stored water and generally bite during daytime. Symptoms include intermittent fever and headache, pain in the joints, rashes over the body and pain behind the eyeballs. Dengue haemorrhagic fever is a severe complication of the viral infection characterised by internal bleeding and bleeding from the nose and gums.

At least 20 children with symptoms similar to dengue were admitted in the Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health early this month. Of them, six were confirmed to have dengue fever and some of them had developed complications, said M.L. Siddaraju, Director of the institute.

“Some children have gone into dengue shock syndrome where there is fluid accumulation in the liver and lungs,” Dr. Siddaraju said.

St. John’s Medical College and Hospital received three confirmed cases in the past month. According to S.K. Ghosh, Deputy Director of the National Institute for Malaria Research, Field Unit, Bangalore, the city’s climate is conducive for breeding of mosquito larvae and most of the breeding happens in fresh water stored in overhead tanks, water accumulated in construction sites and in the periphery of lakes.