Dengue rises, but government yet to wake up

BANGALORE: Razak Mohammed (name changed) has been in the ICU of Jayanagar General Hospital since August 12. The 30-year-old marketing professional has dengue-like symptoms. His blood sample was sent to the Public Health Institute (PHI) eight days ago but the report is yet to reach the hospital. His platelet count plummeted to 40,000 when it has to be 1.5 lakh-4.5 lakh per microlitre of blood.Yet Razak is described as a suspect dengue case.
PHI has its hands full, testing 60 blood samples a day with 50% of them turning positive for dengue in a week. But the state government refuses to acknowledge that there is a problem.
Health minister U T Khader is firm in ruling out any dengue outbreak. "It's impossible to bring down dengue cases to zero. As long as solid waste management and cleanliness in drains are %not taken care of, diseases like dengue will keep affecting people. Local municipal bodies and gram panchayats have to take up cleanliness drives," he says.
Meanwhile, Razak is relieved. "I would not have survived but for the treatment given at the hospital. We can't trace the source of infection. As I am into marketing, I travel a lot within the city. I am waiting for my blood report," he informed TOI.
"Irrespective of the test reports, we are treating Razak as a dengue patient. It's critical once the platelet count goes below 50,000. In Razak's case, it plummeted from 95,000 to 40,000 within two days. On Wednesday, it came up to 91,000. There is no specific treatment for dengue. We are providing symptomatic treatment," says Dr Babu Rao, senior specialist, Jayanagar General Hospital.
The hospital is seeing increasing cases of viral fever and dengue-like symptoms.
In all 47 cases of suspected dengue patients' blood samples have been sent from the hospital to PHI.
"Eighteen cases were positive. We are waiting for the test reports of 32 fresh samples sent," says Dr Kishore C Kumatakar, resident medical officer.
However, the health department is yet to wake up, leaving doctors and hospitals disturbed.
"We might even lose some patients by the time the government considers a case as dengue positive. The BBMP's mosquito-control measures are inadequate to contain the dengue menace," said a doctor from a super specialty hospital in north Bangalore which received a notice from the Palike for speaking to the media about rising dengue cases. Private hospitals are seeing more than five cases of dengue-like fever everyday. The Indiranagar General Hospital and Isolation Hospital in east Bangalore have also seen a spurt. The health department statistics in the state this year have thrown up 1,182 positive cases while Bangalore alone has 241.
"Every suspect case's details are sent to the department and blood samples tested for dengue. There is an increase in viral fever cases," said Dr K S Sandhya, medical superintendent, Indiranagar General Hospital, who did not share the data on dengue cases.
But BBMP records show a lesser number: 153 dengue cases since January 2014. "Till last week we had 129 cases. In just one week we have seen 24 fresh cases. The larva control programme through power spray and source reduction is on," says Dr Manoranjan Hegde, project director (communicable diseases) BBMP.
On delay in issuing test results, Dr S N Jayaram, health commissioner, says, "Extensive measures are taken by the department to prevent dengue. If there is delay in test reports, we shall look into the issue."