As the death toll from chikungunya mounts to 7 in the
national capital, the Delhi government and the centre have been trading blame.
More than 1,057 cases of chikungunya and 1,158 cases of dengue were reported in
the national capital till September 10, the month when vector-borne diseases
start to peak.
Chikungunya
It is a viral
infection spread by the bite of the aedes aegypti mosquito. The last
chikungunya outbreak in India was in 2006, when more than 1,500,000 cases were
reported resulting in several deaths.
The word
"chikungunya" means "to become contorted" in Kimakonde, a
language spoken in parts of Tanzania and Mozambique, which refers to the
contorted walk of infected persons who develop severe joint pain.
Symptoms appear
between 4 and 7 days after being bitten by the infected mosquito.
Symptoms include
high fever (102-104°F), joint swelling and pain (lower back, ankle, knees,
wrists or fingers), rash, headache, nausea and fatigue.
The fever lasts
for two to three days but the virus remains in the human body for up to a week.
Mosquitoes biting a sick person during this period can spread disease to others
around them.
Chikungunya rarely
kills, and most deaths occur in older people with existing diseases.
Chikungunya can be
detected using serological tests which will look for antibodies in your blood.
Unlike
chikungunya, recovery from an infection will give life-long immunity.
Diagnosis
The price of the
confirmatory RT-PCR (Reverse Transcryptase–Polymerase Chain Reaction) test is
capped at R 1,500 at public and private labs by Delhi government.
Red flags
You need emergency
hospital admission if :
You are over 60
years old with uncontrolled diabetes, hypertension, kidney problems, etc
Develop blurry
vision
Have persistent
vomiting, nausea
Difficulty
breathing
Develop
drowsiness, hallucinations, delirium
Treatment
Chikungunya has no
cure, people are treated for pain and fever.
Dengue
Dengue is a viral
infection spread by the bite of the aedes aegypti mosquito and does not spread
directly from person to person
The symptoms start
within five to six days after you’re bitten by an infected mosquito.
Fever lasts for
seven to 10 days.
Symptoms include
high fever (<103 degrees Fahrenheit), severe headache, pain behind the eyes,
joint and muscle pain, nausea and vomiting, abdominal cramps, bleeding from the
gums, nose or ears, and rash.
Most people
recover in a week to 10 days by taking paracetamol for fever and pain and
drinking lots of fluids to prevent dehydration.
Diagnosis
If you suspect you
have dengue, you need to get two tests done.
Confirmatory test: Get the NS1 Elisa-based
antigen test done after three days of developing fever with symptoms of body
ache, headache or nausea. The price is capped at R 650 by Delhi government.
Platelets count: Platelets help the blood
clot and stop bleeding. Very low levels – the normal range is between 150,000
and 450,000 platelets per microlitre of blood – lead to internal
bleeding and shock, which results in death from multi-organ failure. The cost
is capped at R 50.
Less than 150,000:
Get platelet count done once in two days
Less than 100,000:
Platelet count must be done once a day
Less than 60,000:
Platelet count should be done twice a day. Also a daily test is needed if the
rate of drop is 50% or more within 224 hours.
Less than 30,000
or if you’re bleeding: It’s a medical emergency, you need hospital admission.
Less than 10,000:
Blood transfusion may be needed.
Dengue Red flags
You need emergency
hospital admission if you have:
Platelets count
less than 30,000.
Bleeding from the
gums, nose, ears or blood in the stool or urine.
Severe abdominal
pain.
Persistent
vomiting.
Difficulty
breathing
Rash, read spots
on abdomen, arms
Dengue has no
cure, the fever and pain is treated with paracetamol. Don’t use aspirin as it
may aggravate bleeding.
Sanofi’s Dengvaxia
vaccine against all four dengue strains available globally, but is awaiting
regulatory approval in India.
Platelet
transfusion may be needed if platelets fall below 10,000 platelets per
microlitre of blood.
Protecting
yourself from dengue
and chikungunya
Wear clothes that
cover your arms and legs.
Use mosquito
repellent sprays, creams, coils, mats or liquids to drive away mosquitoes and
use screens on doors and windows.
Wear loose clothes
that cover your arms and legs.
Aedes aegypti, the
mosquito that spreads dengue infection, breeds in clean, fresh water in vases,
tanks, birdbaths, fountains, old tyres, containers, potholes etc. Prevent
mosquito breeding by drying out all containers at least once a week.
Source: World Health Organisation,
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
DELHI CASE COUNT
Chikungunya
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