Image Courtesy:nationalheraldindia.com
The arrival of Lucknow doctors at Firozabad Medical College has provided some relief in terms of man-power to address the rising number of Dengue cases in the region, a healthcare worker told SabrangIndia. The district has been in the media spotlight due to steadily rising numbers of deaths due to Dengue.
The disease includes symptoms like fever, chills, body ache, headache, dehydration, rapid decline in platelet count and stomach ache. The virus is spread due to mosquito bites. According to Live Hindustan, 67 deaths were recorded on Friday of which a majority were children. Around 200 people showing symptoms of the disease have approached hospitals as per local news media. Around 100-150 of these patients include young children. Some hospitals that took in many young patients barred other people from entering the building.
“The biggest issue is the dirt brought in by flood water and heavy rain,” said Firozabad resident Vipin, who also reported symptoms of fever. He said that while city folk were suffering the most from Dengue, the lack of hygiene had helped the disease reach rural areas as well. Similar cases are also being reported in Etah, Mathura and Mainpuri. Anganwadi workers across Uttar Pradesh have complained of growing viral cases in villages and unhygienic surroundings due to flood water.
Earlier, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath transferred the Chief Medical Officer in Firozabad following a visit to the district hospital. On Friday, Hindustan Times reported that further three doctors were suspended. These include a primary health centre’s medical officer-in-charge Dr Girish Srivastava, medical officer-in-charge Dr Saurabh Prakash, public health expert Dr Ruchi Yadav.
While these administrative changes are made, the Lucknow team, consisting of experts from Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has collected samples from sick children and larvae from affected regions. Bodies of those who died due to the disease have been sent to Lucknow and the Pune-based National Institute of Virology (NIV) for further investigation, as per a report in the New Indian Express.
However, experts are also speculating whether the disease may be caused by creatures other than mosquitoes. For example, Scrub Typhus is a bacterial infection caused by the Orientia tsutsugamushi bacteria and infects humans after being bitten by infected larval mites.
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