Dengue becomes a cause for concern in Kolkata

A 13-year-old-girl died on Wednesday while 12 people succumbed to the epidemic

Dengue is becoming a cause for concern in Kolkata which, according to sources in the administration, has recorded about 4,000 cases since August this year.

Wednesday saw the death of a 13-year-old girl due to dengue; so far, at least 12 people are said to have died in the city because of the mosquito-borne disease. “This year, the number of cases is far more than the previous years. Dengue has obviously become a matter of great concern,” said Dr. Rahul Jain, a well-known internal medicine specialist. “Intermittent rains and stagnation of water are the two reasons why the vector is multiplying manifold.”

At least one hospital in the city,The Advanced Medical Research Institute (AMRI), has already set up a dengue ward at its Dhakuria branch. The hospital has three branches in the city and at the moment, they all, put together, have 76 patients undergoing treatment for the disease. The dengue ward of AMRI, opened on September 20, has 18 beds, including seven for severe cases.

“Early one morning I woke up with high fever and a splitting headache and severe dehydration. I got myself tested by two labs; one showed my platelet count as 52,000 and another as 64,000 — on the same day. In either case I needed hospitalisation,” said Priya Das, a medical professional, who spent three days at the AMRI. “Today I find it difficult even to walk from the bedroom to the drawing room; I didn’t feel this weak even when I was down with COVID.”

The Kolkata Municipal Corporation, which cited a 500% rise in dengue cases in Singapore compared to 2021 due to erratic rainfall and hot and humid climate, cited a number of reasons behind the surge in Kolkata. They included change in the breeding habits of Aedes aegypti (the species has become an aggressive breeder); movement of the silent carriers of the dengue virus following restoration of normal life post-pandemic; neglect in the timely cleaning of ponds and vacant lands; the large number of locked houses—ideal breeding grounds—in many areas; and poor involvement of “some local leaders” in vector management programmes.

The corporation said it was carrying out intensive source-reduction drive in all vulnerable areas, tracking dengue patients, and monitoring vector control activities.

Salt Lake City-based Dr. Rajesh Chel, one of the rare physicians who still goes on house visits, said that dengue was back in two forms. “One form brings only mild suffering, when the platelet count does not drop but the patient can suffer from symptoms such as nausea, headache, and loss of appetite. The other form is severe, where there is a sharp dip in the platelet count and high-grade fever, about 104 degrees. Both need immediate attention but hospitalisation becomes a must in the second category,” Dr. Chel said.