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The number of dengue cases in India has hit a five-year high of nearly 20,000 and is expected to rise further.
NEW DELHI: Combatting the rise in dengue fever cases is proving to be a particularly difficult challenge for quite a few Asian countries including India.
The number of dengue cases in India has hit a five-year high of nearly 20,000 and is expected to rise further.
The subcontinent's annual monsoon season increases both the number of cases and a sense of urgency in tackling the problem.
Dr KK Aggarwal, vice president of the Indian Medical Association, said: “There is more awareness, and more cases are getting reported. And this number is only a tip of the iceberg - the number may be more than 10 or 15 times more."
About 70 percent of the world's dengue cases are found in Asia, and India alone accounts for 34 percent of the total.
Climate change is believed to be making the environment more friendly for the dengue-spreading Aedes mosquitoes. Lower levels of rainfall and a rise in humidity have resulted in a spike in the number of Aedes mosquitoes and dengue cases this year.
India's capital New Delhi currently has about 1,200 people suffering from the disease while the city's politicians argue about where the blame for the outbreak should lie.
Ashutosh, a spokesperson for the Aam Aadmi Party, said: "I agree with you. If civic bodies fail to do their duties, if they fail to prepare in advance, then this is what is going to happen."
As the number of cases increases, several blood banks are feeling the strain even as health officials stress that blood transfusions are not necessary for every dengue patient.
Jagdish Prasad, director general of health services at the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, said: "Dengue does not mean that there is a need to panic. Dengue means the patient should have water in adequate amount, stay under constant observation, keep getting blood tests done and there is no need to get admitted to a hospital."
He added that only patients who have other co-morbidity conditions, like diabetes or old age, need to get admitted to a hospital.
With no known vaccine to prevent dengue, improving the environment and the public health system are the only ways to control the spread of the disease.
This involves rigorous checks on all buildings, for areas where water can accumulate and provide areas where the mosquitoes can breed; the use of mosquito repellents; and fumigation of residential and commercial areas.
- CNA/al
Dengue cases in India at 5-year high - Channel NewsAsia
- By Zain Awan, Channel NewsAsia
- POSTED: 13 Sep 2015 14:28
NEW DELHI: Combatting the rise in dengue fever cases is proving to be a particularly difficult challenge for quite a few Asian countries including India.
The number of dengue cases in India has hit a five-year high of nearly 20,000 and is expected to rise further.
The subcontinent's annual monsoon season increases both the number of cases and a sense of urgency in tackling the problem.
Dr KK Aggarwal, vice president of the Indian Medical Association, said: “There is more awareness, and more cases are getting reported. And this number is only a tip of the iceberg - the number may be more than 10 or 15 times more."
About 70 percent of the world's dengue cases are found in Asia, and India alone accounts for 34 percent of the total.
Climate change is believed to be making the environment more friendly for the dengue-spreading Aedes mosquitoes. Lower levels of rainfall and a rise in humidity have resulted in a spike in the number of Aedes mosquitoes and dengue cases this year.
India's capital New Delhi currently has about 1,200 people suffering from the disease while the city's politicians argue about where the blame for the outbreak should lie.
Ashutosh, a spokesperson for the Aam Aadmi Party, said: "I agree with you. If civic bodies fail to do their duties, if they fail to prepare in advance, then this is what is going to happen."
As the number of cases increases, several blood banks are feeling the strain even as health officials stress that blood transfusions are not necessary for every dengue patient.
Jagdish Prasad, director general of health services at the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, said: "Dengue does not mean that there is a need to panic. Dengue means the patient should have water in adequate amount, stay under constant observation, keep getting blood tests done and there is no need to get admitted to a hospital."
He added that only patients who have other co-morbidity conditions, like diabetes or old age, need to get admitted to a hospital.
With no known vaccine to prevent dengue, improving the environment and the public health system are the only ways to control the spread of the disease.
This involves rigorous checks on all buildings, for areas where water can accumulate and provide areas where the mosquitoes can breed; the use of mosquito repellents; and fumigation of residential and commercial areas.
- CNA/al
Dengue cases in India at 5-year high - Channel NewsAsia
