Dimapur and surrounding foothill areas continue to witness record rise in dengue cases while several deaths have been reported mostly due to comorbidity. Hospitals in Dimapur are still overwhelmed with patients seeking medical help due to suspected symptoms of dengue.
Medical staff across hospitals Dimapur area on the job and the workload is reminiscent of the pandemic years with patients thronging the OPDs and emergency wards. Blood banks are running low especially on rare blood groups such as 0 negative of AB negative etc. despite more donors lining up at various collection centres.
When this Reporter spoke with doctors in some hospitals including those running medical laboratories involved with blood test to ascertain dengue, it was disclosed that all blood tests reports etc are forwarded to the District Hospital Dimapur for vetting these reports.
Sources said confirmation of dengue test from various hospitals and laboratories are taking more time due to huge backlogs.
One hospital source told this Reporter that out of around 800 tests undertaken over a few months for dengue, 50% tested positive. Another stated that during the month of August out of around 100 tests for dengue around 25 tested positive.
Many areas in Dimapur report several people suffering with symptoms of dengue and in most cases, with most being positive.
According to one doctor, fogging is helpful in getting rid of adult mosquitoes which carry the virus though it may not affect mosquito larva in stagnant waters. However, since the infected adult mosquito infects other humans, fogging is helpful said the doctor.
He said getting rid of all containers around homes or localities which collect rainwater will prevent breeding of mosquito larva.
Outbreak of dengue has been reported from Karbi Anglong besides Dimapur foothill areas and presently, the number of cases has slowly come down. Dengue has taken the form of an epidemic by spreading to large number of people within a short time and within a given area such as Dimapur and nearby areas.
An epidemic occurs when there is rapid spread of disease to a large number of hosts in a given population and within a short time. It is also defined as being contained in a small population but the number of cases is larger than normally expected.
However, many people were taken aback by the stand of the government that there was only surge in dengue cases and not an epidemic. Some felt that authorities could have sounded a health concern.