With the onset of monsoon, many places in India are is witnessing a sharp rise in the number of dengue cases.
For instance, in Bengaluru, hospitals are receiving several dengue cases on a daily basis now.
While according to the BBMP, 93 positive cases of dengue were recorded in the city in 2016, data released by the health and family welfare department states that there have been 82 new dengue cases in the last 30 days alone, The Times of India reported. The number of recorded dengue cases in the state in the same period is 430.
Dr. Pankaj Singhai, Head of the Department of Internal Medicine, Manipal Hospitals, says there has been a significant increase in the number of dengue cases in the city and that they are getting 5-10 such cases everyday.
Here are a few steps, as pointed out by Dr Pankaj, that people can take to prevent dengue.
- Use mosquito repellents, especially during day time because the female Aedes aegypti mosquito, which transmits the viruses that cause dengue, bites during the day. Be more careful when travelling to tropical areas or heavily populated residential areas.
- Wear protective clothing that covers the body like long-sleeved shirts and full pants tucked into the shirt.
- Make sure that the windows and doors at your home is free of any holes.
- Do not allow clean water to stagnate near living spaces, like in coolers, plant pots, old cans, tyres, etc. Regularly change water in pots.
- The mosquito carrying the virus can bite several members of the same family. So if someone in the family has tested positive for dengue, the others need to be extra vigilant and take adequate measures for protection.
The common symptoms of dengue include sudden and continuous high fever, severe headache, pain behind the eyes, severe joint and muscle ache, fatigue, tiredness, nausea, vomiting, skin rash, and at times easy bruising and bleeding from the nose and gums.
Apart from dengue, other water-related diseases that are on the rise are typhoid fever and gastroenteritis, says Dr Pankaj.
The best way to prevent these is to avoid drinking contaminated water and also avoid eating unhygienic food, specially from street side eateries.