Tag: Dengue

Doctor Part of Inspection Team in Patna Now Patient of Dengue, Chikungunya.

Source – news18.com

An entomologist from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, New Delhi, who was visiting Patna to inspect the houses breeding dengue spreading mosquito Aedes aegypti larvae, has been tested positive for dengue.

Dr Ram Singh, joint director of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), and head of the Centre for Medical Entomology and Vector Management, New Delhi, was sent to Patna on October 3, Hindustan Times reported. However, he was rushed to sickbay after he was tested positive for dengue and chikungunya on Saturday.

Dr Ram Singh is one of the members of the central team dispatched by Union Minister of State for Health Ashwini Kumar Choubey, to help prevent the spread of mosquito-borne diseases in Patna and other parts of Bihar that witnessed rains between September 27 and 29.

Singh, who is suffering from high-grade fever and excruciating pain in joint, could not return to the national capital with the rest of the members of the team on Saturday. A fortnight-long operation by the Central team in Bihar came to an end this weekend.

Dengue, chikungunya and other mosquito-borne diseases including malaria, zika virus, and Yellow fever spread during monsoon and post-monsoon seasons. These mosquitoes breed in fresh stagnant water.

Initial symptoms of dengue include high fever and severe headache which is usually accompanied by fatigue, rashes, vomiting, soaring of eyes, joint and muscles pain among others.

Singh said he has been shivering with high fever and have pain in my joints since Friday. “I had to return to Delhi yesterday (Saturday) but am still here under the care of Dr Krishna Pandey of the Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences (RMRIMS) after my blood serum test tested positive for Dengue and Chikungunya,” he added.

During the inspection, Dr Singh had visited a number of waterlogged houses to check for larvae of dengue spreading mosquitoes. He was accompanied by microbiologists and entomologists who collected the samples of water from piped sources and tanks to check for the presence of microbes and those in buckets, planters, toys, pools, birdbaths, flowerpots, or trash containers, to check vector density of Dengue.

Health camps were also set up by the Central team and blood samples of patients with fever and other dengue-like symptoms were collected. The Central team concluded its operation on October 18 after consultation with the state government.

The Central team included doctors from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi; Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, New Delhi; Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi; the National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi; Regional Malaria Research Centre, Bhubaneswar, directorate of National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP), New Delhi; the NCDC, New Delhi; AIIMS-Patna and the Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences (RMRIMS), Patna.

Earlier, two BJP lawmakers of Bihar — Nitin Navin and Sanjiv Chaurasia — both residing in Patna, were tested positive for dengue.

So far this year, 2,538 people from Bihar have tested positive for dengue of which 1,916 are from the state capital Patna.

On the other hand, 293 patients were tested positive for Chikungunya, of which 268 were from Patna.

Dengue has claimed lives of at least five people in Patna since October 15, but the state government has so far not attributed any of these deaths to the mosquito-borne disease.

125 Fresh Cases of Dengue Reported in Bihar in Last 2 Days, Total Count Mounts to 3,950.

Source – news18.com

At least 125 fresh cases of dengue were recorded in Bihar that witnessed fresh spell of rain late last month. With the fresh cases, the total number of people tested positive for the mosquito-borne diseases rose to 3,950 of which 2,953 were reported from Patna. In the last two days, the capital of Bihar witnessed 77 fresh cases.

Dengue is spread by bite of female mosquito – Aedes aegypti that breeds in clean stagnant water. These mosquitoes bite during the early morning and in the evening before dusk.

According to a report by The Times of India, no fresh cases of chikungunya were recorded in Bihar in the last two days.

The number of dengue and chikungyna cases has started to decrease in the state. The daily said that the decreasing trend could be observed even in the samples tested in the virology lab of Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH), where blood samples of 67 people, including 62 from Patna, were tested positive for dengue on Monday. The number of cases tested positive for dengue on Saturday were recorded at 168.

According to the daily, the health department principal secretary, Sanjay Kumar, said that the drop in mercury has led to decrease in number of dengue cases in Bihar.

Initial symptoms of dengue include high-grade fever and severe headache which is accompanied by nausea, vomiting, soaring of eyes, pain in joint and muscles, fatigue, rash among others.

People witnessing any of these symptoms should visit to a nearby hospital and get the necessary blood tests done. Patients who are diagnosed with dengue tend to feel week and their blood platelet count drops. Therefore, dengue patients should take adequate rest and increase intake of fluids including water, juices, coconut water among others.

People should avoid self-medication and follow the directives prescribed by doctors for early recovery. There is no treatment or vaccination for the disease and only timely diagnose and care can help it from becoming severe.

As diseases spreading mosquitoes breed in stagnant water, people should ensure that there is no accumulation of water in the neighbourhood as well as in the house. Before stepping out people should wear full-sleeved clothes and when in house, people should use mosquito nets and mosquito nets.

289 Chikungunya Cases Recorded in Patna as Bihar Grapples with Dengue.

Source – news18.com

After dengue, Chikungunya cases are increasing in Bihar as 322 cases have already been reported in the state.

Of the total number of cases reported in the state, 289 come from the capital city alone till Tuesday, reported The Times of India.

The report makes mention of the fact that in comparison; the figure for the entire of 2018 was 156.

According to state health department data, the maximum number of chikungunya cases is from Patna, followed by Nalanda, which has reported 10 cases till Wednesday.

A health department officer urged people to take caution reminding everyone that the most number of chikungunya cases were recorded between mid-October and November last year.

He further added that in 2018 chikungunya forayed into the state because a number of travellers suffering from the disease travelled to Bihar during Durga Puja and Chhath carrying the virus along with them. As per health department data, a single case from Nalanda saw a patient travelling from Bangalore. None of the cases in Patna had any prior travel history.

Commenting on the striking rise in chikungunya cases in the state this year, principal secretary of health department Sanjay Kumar said that since the carrier of both dengue and chikungunya is the same and because there is an increase in dengue cases this year, chikungunya cases too have subsequently raised.

Citing an Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) report, Kumar added that in 40 percent of the households surveyed by the central team, they found presence of larvae.

Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) medicine department associate professor RD Singh revealed more about the difference in symptoms of chikungunya and dengue stating that while in both cases a person suffers from fever, in case of dengue there is body ache while in chikungunya there is pain in the joints.

He further added that though rashes occur in both cases, in dengue there is no rash on palms and soles. Furthermore, he said that while for dengue, a person can recover after 10 days, chikungunya pain can persist for two to three weeks at least.

Doctor part of central team in Patna to check dengue spread is now a patient.

Source – hindustantimes.com

An entomologist, from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, New Delhi, who was visiting Patna to check houses for Aedes mosquito larvae, which transmits Dengue, has now been afflicted with the disease.

Dr Ram Singh, joint director of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), and head of the Centre for Medical Entomology and Vector Management, New Delhi, has been sent to the sick bay after he tested positive for Dengue and Chikungunya on Saturday.

He was a part of the Central team sent to the city on October 3, at the behest of Union Minister of State for Health Ashwini Kumar Choubey, to help the state in curbing the spread of the disease.

Patna was battered by incessant rain between September 27 and 29.

Dr Singh, who is down with high fever and acute joint pain, could not return to Delhi with the rest of the team on Saturday. The Central team wound up its fortnight-long operation in Bihar, this weekend.

“I am shivering with high fever and have pain in my joints since Friday. I had to return to Delhi yesterday (Saturday) but am still here under the care of Dr Krishna Pandey of the Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences (RMRIMS) after my blood serum test tested positive for Dengue and Chikungunya,” Dr Singh said over the telephone.

Dr Singh had visited several waterlogged houses to check them for Aedes mosquito larvae, as microbiologists and entomologists accompanying him went around collecting samples of water from piped sources and tanks to check for the presence of microbes and those in buckets, planters, toys, pools, birdbaths, flowerpots, or trash containers, to check vector density of Dengue. Mosquitoes are known to breed in stagnant water.

The Central team conducted health camps and collected blood samples to check vector and water-borne diseases as well as samples of stagnant water from households to check dengue vector density. It wound up its operations after consultation with the state government on October 18.

The team comprised doctors from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi; Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, Delhi; Safdarjung Hospital, Delhi; the National Institute of Malaria Research, Delhi; Regional Malaria Research Centre, Bhubaneswar, directorate of National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP), Delhi; the NCDC, Delhi; AIIMS-Patna and the Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences (RMRIMS), Patna.

Earlier, two BJP legislators — Nitin Navin and Sanjiv Chaurasia — both from Patna, were stung by the Aedes mosquito.

Cases of Dengue and Chikungunya have increased this month. Bihar has reported 2,538 cases of Dengue of which 1,916 are from Patna and another 268 cases of Chikungunya out of a total 293 in the state this year till October 19.

At least five Dengue patients have died in Patna since October 15, but the state government has so far not attributed any of these deaths to the disease.

Doctors, requesting anonymity, said that nine out of 10 deaths in case of Dengue was due to co-morbidity and failure of different organs like the heart or the liver, triggered due to the disease.

Ink Attack on Union Minister Ashwini Choubey Outside Government Hospital in Patna

Source: news18.com

Patna: A bottle full of ink was flung here on Tuesday towards Union Minister of State for Health Ashwini Kumar Choubey, who ended up with stains on his clothes while his vehicle got smudged with the dark blue liquid.

The drama unfolded outside the Patna Medical College and Hospital which Choubey had visited to inspect the ward where patients suffering from dengue, incidence of which has witnessed a spurt in the past fortnight, were admitted.

The minister, who is known to prefer taking the front seat adjacent to that of the driver, had opened the door and was about to board when the uncorked bottle came across flying and crashed a few feet away from him.

Spots of the ink could be seen on the ministers kurta sleeves and his sleeveless jacket while the cars bonnet and window panes were covered with blotches. Hospital authorities and officials who had come out to see the minister off exclaimed in horror while the personnel deputed for his security gave the suspected miscreants, one of them donning a blue T-shirt and jeans and the other dressed in a formal full-sleeve shirt and trousers, a chase for some distance.

A visibly irritated Choubey told a posse of journalists before speeding away “it has been orchestrated by elements who do not believe in democracy, who led a life of crime before entering politics”.

Although the minister took no names, his barb was apparently aimed at controversial politician Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav, who has floated his own outfit Jan Adhikar Party (JAP).

Several people, claiming to owe allegiance to JAP, had raised slogans against Choubey when he had arrived at the PMCH in the morning.

Yadav had made his presence felt in the state capital during the recent waterlogging when he was seen moving through the inundated streets atop motor boats, distributing food, drinking water and money among residents.

On a local news channel, a man in his 20s appeared dressed in a blue T-shirt claiming that he indeed was the one who had thrown ink at the minister.

He said he did so as an expression of “personal anguish” over the failure of governments in the state as well as the Centre to help the people of the city whose lives had come to a grinding halt on account of streets remaining submerged in waist-deep water for several days together.

He also said his name was Nishant Jha and although he acted in his “personal capacity”, he was an active member of the students wing of JAP.

However, when Yadav was contacted and told about Jha, he remained evasive about the young mans connection with his party.

“I do not condone such acts. But did the honourable minister expect bouquets? A few drops of ink on his clothes has got his goat.

“He should try putting himself in the shoes of those whose homes and shops were destroyed in water logging and who are still not able to live in peace, thanks to the outbreak of vector-borne diseases that the deluge has brought in its wake”, Yadav told reporters.

Later, after concluding a meeting with state health officials besides central medical experts who have been camping here to assist the former, Choubey denounced the episode as “a cowardly act”.

He said “if people are so desirous of expressing anguish, they should do so in my face, without hiding behind a crowd and scurrying away immediately afterwards”.

Meanwhile, no FIR was registered in connection with the incident which took place several hours ago and Pir Bahore police station SHO- Rizwan Ahmed Khan- said “we are awaiting a complaint to be lodged on behalf of the aggrieved party”.

A close aide of Choubey said on condition of anonymity the minister has left for Samastipur where he has been requested by LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan to campaign in favour of his nephew and party candidate Prince in the Lok Sabha by-election.

“We, wonder why the police cannot act taking suo motu cognizance of an incident that has taken place at a public place, caught on camera and involves a Union minister,” the minister’s aide said.

Patna Waterlogging: Dengue Death Causes Panic, Ink Thrown at Union Minister

Source: newsclick.in

Patna: With the death of a 7-year-old child due to dengue and a BJP MLA testing dengue positive, panic regarding a dengue outbreak among residents of Patna has increased. This is the first reported dengue death following the worst waterlogging incident in Bihar’s capital city after heavy rains.

Abhinav Kumar, son of a Bihar police constable, died in a hospital on Monday (October 14) night. He was suffering from dengue fever for the last few days.

Sanjeev Chourasia, BJP MLA from Digha Assembly seat in Patna, has also been tested dengue positive. Besides, over one dozen police officials are undergoing treatment after being affected by dengue fever.

According to health department officials, dengue has spread to new residential localities in Patna in the last two days as fresh dengue cases are being reported from there. Till Tuesday morning, the number of dengue positive cases in Patna alone stood at 1,195, while the total number of dengue cases reported in the state was over 1,500.

In Patna, more than 80 dengue patients are undergoing treatment in the government-run Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH), Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS) and different private hospitals.

The rising number of dengue cases has left the residents of Patna—who were already angry with waterlogging for days—infuriated with the administration and political leaders. On Tuesday, a youth threw ink at Union Minister Aswani Kumar Choubey during his visit to the dengue ward in PMCH. The youth fled from the scene afterwards.

The accused youth has reportedly identified himself as Nishant Kumar Jha, a youth activist of Jan Adhikar Party (JAP). He said that this was his way of protesting against the NDA government in state and at the centre for neglecting waterlogged victims in Patna for days.

Several people have expressed unhappiness by blaming government agencies for negligence and have demanded that urgent steps be taken to ensure regular fogging and spraying of bleaching and lime powder as well as speeding up of the cleanliness drive.

District officials said dengue is spreading fast among the waterlogged victims in the worst waterlogged residential localities here after water receded. Waterlogging is main cause of spread of dengue in the city.

What has become a bigger worry for health officials is that waterlogging still remains a problem in certain residential areas. Health officials said that water logging help these vector-borne diseases to spread faster due to increased mosquito breeding. Another disturbing fact is that not only is dengue spreading, there are also reported cases of chikunguniya, diarrhoea and stomach upset from waterlogged areas.

Patna civil surgeon Dr R K Choudhary said arrangements have been made for dengue test in all primary health centres in view of increasing dengue cases after waterlogging.

According to a top health department officer, measures have been started to prevent an outbreak of diseases and teams of doctors will soon visit affected areas to provide medical treatment if needed.

Ranchi Municipal Corporation asks for geotagged photos to aid anti-dengue mission

Source: telegraphindia.com

Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) has asked supervisors to upload GPS-tagged photographs of the ongoing cold fogging exercise to ensure better compliance of the anti-dengue measure that involves killing full-grown mosquitoes.

“All multi-purpose supervisers (MPS) will have to upload GPS tagged photographs (geotagged images) of the cold mist fogging exercises that is on in various lanes of all 53 wards to ensure strict adherence to the monthly roster that has been prepared to tackle the vector menace,” RMC additional municipal commissioner (AMC) Girja Shankar Prasad said on Monday.

As per a directive issued on Sunday evening, all 53 MPS will have to upload GPS tagged photographs of the fogging exercise in the RMC’s WhatsApp group in the morning and evening while monitoring the activities of 66 workers.

“From Monday onwards there will be cold mist fogging and anti-larvicidal spraying in mornings and evenings. While the morning exercise will be carried out between 5am and 7am, the evening exercise has been scheduled between 6.30 pm and 8.30 pm,” said RMC assistant medical officer Kiran Kumari.

RMC has three cold mist fogging machines and the roster has been made in such a way that fogging is repeated in each ward after a span of nine days, the time taken by larvae to develop into an adult Aedes aegypti mosquitoe, she said.

“Cold fogging machines are aimed at killing adult mosquitoes. There have been complaints earlier from residents that their wards are not being covered although supervisors show us log books to claim that they have covered all areas. GPS tagged photographs will remove such confusion and help us monitor the fogging exercise,” she added.

RMC efforts at controlling dengue come in the backdrop of last year’s outbreak with Ranchi recording 350 dengue positive cases. Unconfirmed reports claimed two casualties but the health department denied these were caused by dengue.

“Yes, there was a dengue outbreak in Ranchi last year but there was no casualty. Blood samples of two persons suspected to have died of dengue turned out negative in the Elisa test. This year, there have been no reports of any dengue positive cases,” said Ranchi civil surgeon Dr Vijay Prasad.

RMC has stopped its earlier practice of thermal fogging that was less effective. “The 10 thermal fogging machines will not be used anymore in any of the wards. Cold mist fogging machines will be using a chemical, insective Aqua K-Othrine, which can be mixed with water instead of diesel (as in thermal fogging machines) and will not harm the environment,” Kumari said.

Cold fogging is in the form of a mist and is more precise in hitting adult mosquitoes compared to earlier methods that led to smog and was not that effective. “We also plan to buy three more cold mist fogging machines later,” Kumari added.

The cold mist fogging machines will be deployed alongside the 600 hand-held machines that are used to spray larvicide in drains and other water accumulation points where mosquitoes breed.

“We have a roster for spraying larvicide too. MPS will also have to send GPS tagged photographs for that too. Two workers have been assigned in each of the 53 wards (106 in 53 wards) and the roster has been made in such a manner that larvicide spray is repeated in a particular drain every seven days,” Kumari said.