As of Wednesday, a total of 16 cases of dengue have been reported in the city of Chennai alone.
It was reported that eight children were admitted at the Egmore Institute of Childrens’ Health and are undergoing treatment for dengue fever.
Another eight people have been admitted to the Rajiv Gandhi General Hospital with dengue.
“All eight people who are currently admitted have been found to be dengue positive and are being treated. They are all stable at present,” said Dr Jayanthi, Dean of Madras Medical College and Rajiv Gandhi General Hospital said to TNM, “There is absolutely no need for alarm. Compared to the number of seasonal cases we saw last year we are actually seeing less cases this year.”
The hospital currently has fever wards set up for both male and female patients and has laboratory setups to get accurate reports.
“We have a team of doctors in place whom are following up with the patients. Our lab is also well equipped to handle the same. All the required medicines are also stocked up accordingly,” she added.
Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne disease caused by the one of four types of the dengue virus. During the rainy season, it is normal to see an increase in the number of cases of dengue. It is also called “break bone fever” due to the immense joint pains which are often experienced by those presenting with the fever.
The most common symptoms are high grade fever, headache, joint ache, nausea and vomiting. In some severe cases, people may present with ‘hemorrhagic fever’ when they may have symptoms of bleeding gums, blood in stools or urine, or even the appearance of bruises on the skin due to bleeding under the skin.
Treatment is largely through supportive measures to control the fever and to take plenty of fluids. Regular platelet count monitoring is also done for patients admitted in the hospital.