The surge in dengue cases in Dimapur has not only overwhelmed hospitals with patients, but has also pushed up the demand for platelets, particularly those with negative blood group.
Speaking to Nagaland Post on Saturday, chief medical officer (CMO) District Hospital Dimapur, Dr. Limatula Aier, said that government and private hospitals running out of beds was one of the major challenges being faced as the majority of the patients admitted were dengue related cases.
CMO stated that not every dengue patient was required to be admitted to hospital except for serious patients. She said some of the cases could be treated at home with proper measures and prescription. Stating that setting up more hospitals at present was not possible since it required a lot of time and funding, the CMO said that the department would take further steps to address the problem if there were sudden surge related to dengue cases.
Out of 2515 cases tested since the outbreak in July, the CMO disclosed that 364 positive cases were recorded. The active cases included 178 from District Hospital Dimapur (DHD), 61 from Chümoukedima, two from Niuland and Medziphema each. She informed 121 patients were admitted at DHD from several districts and other states—15 from Wokha, 63 from Mon, two from Peren, three from Mokokchung, one from Phek, five from Kiphire, one from Bihar and 31 from Assam.
Other private hospitals in Dimapur where they recorded dengue positive cases as of Saturday included 12 from multi-speciality, 17 from Faith hospital while Zion hospital recorded 15-20 positive cases per day.
However, no dengue related deaths were reported till the time of filing this report.
Though several individuals and organizations have been voluntarily donating blood, CMO underscored the need for more blood donors since most of the dengue patients were required to maintain healthy platelet count.
Dr. Aier reiterated that the current preventive measures including fogging were not sufficient. She said that the hospital staffs were putting more efforts around the clock on accommodating and treating the patients.
According to CMO, mass social intervention was required to tackle the current epidemic.
Therefore, she advised the citizens to take up preventive measures such as disposing solid waste properly, removing man-made mosquito habitats, covering empty and clean domestic water storage containers on weekly basis, clearing clogged drains, applying mosquito repellents, wearing bright clothing that covers well, preventing mosquitoes from accessing egg-laying habitats by environmental management and modification and to keep surroundings clean.