Lucknow: According to an Aajkalkinews review of prevalence statistics in Uttar Pradesh, namely its capital, Lucknow, the number of cases of dengue, a virus spread by mosquitoes, has been rising as a result of the changing climate.
According to statistics obtained from the chief medical officer, Lucknow recorded 91 new cases of dengue between October 31 and November 1. Over 400 cases were confirmed in the week leading up to November 1. This year, October has not gone a day without the discovery of new cases. In total, the city has already recorded almost 2,100 dengue cases this year.
In India, the number of cases increased from 157,315 prior to the Covid-19 epidemic in 2019 to 289,235 last year. The infection, which is spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, can range in severity from a low-grade fever to a serious, perhaps fatal condition.
Source: National Center for Vector Borne Diseases Control
According to a September 2022 Aajkalkinews analysis, dengue has no known cure, but patients can be managed at home with frequent oral hydration and fever control. According to a 2017 study, there is a risk of bleeding, in which case the patient would require hospitalization and blood transfusions. According to the study, this results in a scarcity of blood platelets during an outbreak.
According to a 2019 study, dengue risk rises in India as temperatures and precipitation rise.
Infections that seem harmless might quickly become fatal
For several days, 56-year-old Girish Chandra Dubey of Aliganj, Lucknow, suffered with a fever. He soon started to feel excruciating pain in his limbs. Tests at King George Medical University (KGMU), where his relatives hurried him, revealed he had dengue. He was now down to 20,000 platelets. Dubey received treatment at KGMU for two days, but the hospital was unable to supply the required platelets, so he was sent to a private institution.
A healthy person typically has between 150,000 and 400,000 platelets per microliter of blood. However, N.B. Singh, chief medical superintendent at Balrampur Hospital, clarified that the danger of suffering dengue shock syndrome (DSS) increases when platelet counts drop below 20,000.
Platelets are essential for blood coagulation. According to Tulika Chandra, head of KGMU’s blood and transfusion medicine department, “a deficiency can put the patient’s life at risk.”
In the later stages of the disease, DSS is a serious complication. The development of rashes and red spots on the skin, body aches, and a prolonged fever are some of the symptoms. As the illness progresses, the patient may notice a decreasing pulse and blue lips, which are indicators of circulatory collapse. Internal bleeding may happen in certain situations, and dengue can be lethal if treatment is not received.
The CMO’s office reports that the lone dengue-related death in Lucknow this year occurred on October 19, when an 84-year-old woman passed away at Balrampur Hospital. Singh stated that she was particularly vulnerable to dengue complications since “her immunity was already very weak.”
The number of cases has increased, as we stated. 388 dengue cases were confirmed in Lucknow in September 2024. This figure climbed to more than 2,100 by October.
The city reported 1,104 illnesses as of November 4 of the pandemic year 2021, with 95% of those infections occurring between September and November. The city of Lucknow recorded 1,677 dengue cases in 2022, and 2,700 cases in 2023.
Aaj Kal Ki News 