Odisha: Rise In Hospitalisation Of Dengue Patients Due To Deadly DEN2 Strain

Bhubaneswar: Even dengue has spread to all parts of Odisha, the menace has assumed an alarming shape in state capital Bhubaneswar amid rise in hospitalisation of patients. Scientists and health experts are of the view that increase in hospitalisation could be due to the deadly dengue virus-2 – DEN2.

Sources said that around 12 of the over 70 positive cases detected every day are being hospitalised because of severity of the disease and fall in platelet count. The gravity of the situation can be gauged from the fact that the two dengue wards at the Capital Hospital are running in full capacity.

Stating that there are four dengue virus serotypes – DEN1, DEN2, DEN3 and DEN4, experts said DEN 2 is considered the most fatal. The risk of developing dengue haemorrhagic fever is very high in patients infected with DEN2 variant which oftens cause hospitalisation due to internal bleeding and damage to vital organs.

Dengue virus serotype-2 (DEN2), along with DEN1 and DEN3, had been found by researchers at Regional Medical Research Centre (RMRC) in samples drawn from patients from Bhubaneswar as well as other parts of the state.

DEN2 serotype has been detected predominantly accounting for around 70 per cent of samples serotyped recently, according to RMRC Director Sanghamitra Pati. DEN1 has been detected in 28 pc samples from across the districts.

After mapping of dengue positive samples from 18 districts to ascertain the distribution and trends of currently prevalent dengue virus serotypes, it was found that most of the districts  predominantly had DEN2 serotype barring only a few districts, which had mixed serotypes. Men were more affected than women, constituting nearly two-thirds of the total cases.

Hospitals are facing a tough time following rise in dengue cases amid difficulty for blood transfusion in critical patients. The post-recovery duration has also been prolonged this time. Health officials, however, said the number of dengue positive cases has come down from a range of more than 100 to around 70 now. The state recorded 74 new cases taking the tally to 2737. Khurda reported the maximum 1332 cases, 90 per cent of which are from Bhubaneswar city, sources said.

As there is no specific treatment for dengue, the only way to control the menace is source reduction besides steps to prevent mosquito bite. Therefore, civic authorities and people should keep the surroundings clean, according to a senior Health department official