The cases of vector-borne diseases like dengue, malaria, and chikungunya are on the rise in several states of the country at a time when India is already dealing with a coronavirus pandemic. Several states are taking necessary steps to prevent the spread of such diseases which can put more burden on the healthcare facilities amid Covid-19. The Delhi-NCR region has witnessed a shortage of beds for dengue patients.
What are Vector-borne diseases?
Vectors are small organisms such as mosquitoes, bugs, and ticks that can carry a disease from person to person and place to place. Disease such as malaria, dengue, and chikungunya which can be spread by these vector bites is known as vector-borne disease.
Waterlogging in the monsoons is a perfect breeding condition for mosquitos, thus increasing the risk of its spread that becomes even higher in areas with hygiene issues.
Here’s to know about dengue, malaria, and chikungunya which have become a headache for all in the recent days:
dengue
Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne viral disease that is caused by the dengue virus. It is transmitted through the bites of Aedes mosquitoes. The people infected with dengue have mild or no symptoms. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 75 per cent of people infected with dengue don’t show any symptoms, while 20 percent have mild symptoms and 5 per cent might develop severe symptoms, which can be life-threatening.
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Moreover, early diagnosis can help reduce complications including lungs, liver, and heart damage and decrease its fatality rates.
Malaria
Caused by parasites that are spread among humans through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes, malaria is a life-threatening, yet preventable and curable, disease that accounted for close to 23 crore infections and about 4 lakh deaths in 2019.
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Malaria is endemic to India, but the country has reported a significant drop in numbers in recent years. Citing the WHO World Malaria Report 2020, the Union health ministry had said in December last year that “India has contributed to the largest drop in cases region-wide, from approximately 20 million to about 6 million”. It added that malaria cases dropped by 71.8 per cent while deaths declined by 73.9 per cent between 2000 to 2019.
chikungunya
It’s a viral disease transmitted to humans by infected mosquitoes. The mosquitoes which cause the infection bite during the day, usually just after sunrise and around sunset. The most common symptoms of infection are fever and joint pain. Other symptoms may include headache, muscle pain, joint swelling, or rash.
Here’s how states are preparing to tackle the menace of these vector-borne diseases:
Delhi
Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Thursday said that there are adequate arrangements for dengue patients in the state-run hospitals and no patient is being turned away. He also said that majority of dengue patients in Delhi hospitals are from outside the city.
Jain’s comments came in the backdrop of reports that there was a shortage of beds for dengue patients at Safdarjung Hospital and Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in the national capital. “They are Centre-run hospitals. We have adequate arrangements for dengue patients in Delhi government hospitals. No patients are being turned away,” the minister told reporters here.
Delhi has reported over 1,000 cases of dengue this year, with more than 280 cases logged in the last week, according to a civic report released on Monday. Of the total number of dengue cases recorded in Delhi this season, 665 were recorded in the first 23 days of this month alone. Dengue cases have been rising in Delhi over the last two weeks. The city recorded its first death due to the vector-borne disease on October 18.
Tamil Nadu
Four people, including a child, have tested positive for dengue positive and have been undergoing treatment at the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH). Following heavy rains in the district, many people have been landing at the CMCH with symptoms of fever and cough, said the hospital Dean Dr N Nirmala on Thursday. Already, there have been 80 cases with symptoms of malaria and viral fever, she said.
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With rains, diseases like dengue and viral fever are likely to increase and the general public is advised to consume hot water and approach the hospital if they have symptoms of fever and cough, Nirmala said.
Uttar Pradesh
In Uttar Pradesh, committees have been instructed to intensify door-to-door screening, tracing of patients showing influenza-like illness (ILI) as per the WHO-recommended ‘trace-test-treat’ strategy. The committees have also been ordered to check the spread of vector-borne diseases such as dengue, cholera, diarrhea, and malaria in the state.
“As coronavirus remains under effective control in Uttar Pradesh, in view of rising cases in other places, we must strengthen our contact tracing operation. The surveillance committees must intensify screening to enable early detection if any followed by early treatment,” Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said at a meeting in Lucknow on Thursday.
Apart from making all necessary arrangements in the hospitals for the treatment of ailing people, the government has also ordered to ensure continuous monitoring of the health of every patient to remove any chance of increased transmission of the virus or any water-borne, vector-borne disease.
The authorities have been asked to continue the extensive cleanliness, sanitization, and fogging drives to prevent the spread of vector-borne diseases.
Maharashtra
With 2,006 cases of chikungunya between January and October this year, Maharashtra has reported a five-year high in the infection. While the Satara district reported 73 cases, Kolhapur, Beed and Amravati reported 148, 38 and 29 cases, respectively.
The confirmed 2,000-plus cases this year are the highest since 2017, when 1,438 cases were reported, the Times of India said in an article. A total of 1,009 cases were detected in 2018 and 2019 witnessed 1,646 cases in the state. In the pandemic year of 2020, like all diseases, chikungunya saw a massive drop to 782 cases, the report said.
According to the civic report on vector-borne diseases released on Thursday, one death due to dengue and a total of 1,006 dengue cases this season till October 23 is the highest case count since 2018 for the same period.
The total number of cases this year till October 16 — a nine-and-a-half-month period — had stood at 723. Thus, 283 fresh cases have been logged in one week.
The number of cases reported for the January 1-October 16 period in the previous three years were — 489 (2020); 833 (2019) and 1,310 (2018), as per the report.
PUNJAB
Punjab’s Mohali on Wednesday reported three more deaths due to dengue, taking this year’s death toll to 29. Panchkula has recorded first death due to the dengue this season, while Chandigarh recorded three deaths so far.
Mohali recorded the highest death toll due to dengue in at least a decade. Eight people had died due to the mosquito-borne viral disease in 2018, while a death each was confirmed in the following two years.
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