After fighting a long fight against Covid-19, now Punjab is facing a dengue outbreak, which has claimed more deaths than the global pandemic Coronavirus. According to the health analysis, between October 13 and October 19, people have contracted dengue eight times more than Covid-19.
The number of dengue cases has gone up from 7,961 on October 13 to 9,047 on October 19. As per the statics shared by the government, 193 dengue cases have been reported whereas 168 Covid cases have been reported, in the past week.
Most of the dengue cases this year have been reported from five Punjab districts — Bhatinda (1,414), Mohali (1,264), Hoshiarpur (1,099), Amritsar (1,019), and Pathankot (955).
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Punjab Health Minister Om Prakash Soni said, “All district health officials have been directed to form committees under the concerned deputy commissioner who will ensure that adequate fogging machines and other equipment are available in every district to check the spread of dengue and malaria. We have also fixed the dengue test rates at Rs 600 across the state”.
As per the experts, prolonged monsoon is the reason behind the spike in Covid-19 cases. “Human activity increased after the lockdown curbs were lifted. That's why more cases are being reported this year. Dengue has no relation with the Covid-19 virus. It has a direct relation with stagnant water,” said the head of the Department of Internal Medicine, PGIMER, Chandigarh, professor Sanjay Jain.
Dengue in Punjab: Signs and Symptoms
The state government has shared the signs and symptoms of dengue fever. The following signs and symptoms are useful as indicators of disease progression and severity:
Some of the most common symptoms of dengue are high fever, headache, vomiting, joint pain and skin rash and they are exhibited 3 to 14 days after the mosquito bite.
Some of the severe symptoms of the disease are Minor bleeding from different sites, scanty haemoptysis, haematemesis, haematuria, increase menstrual flow, gum bleeding, etc., Abdominal pain or discomfort, breathlessness, Hepatic dysfunction or hepatomegaly, Decrease urinary output, High HCT (>45%), Rapid fall in platelet count, Cold clammy extremities, Narrow pulse pressure and Rapid pulse, and Hypotension.
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Dengue in Punjab: Treatment
As of now, there is no particular vaccine or treatment for dengue but mostly the doctors recommend acetaminophen.
Dengue in Punjab: Precautionary Measures
Some of the precautionary measures are below-mentioned:
- Use an effective mosquito repellent.
- Stop the spread of infectious mosquitoes, clear off all the sources of standing water as dengue mosquitoes usually breed in stagnant or still water.
- Stay at home or use a mosquito net.
- While going out, wear protective clothes, this would minimize the area of your exposed skin.