Hyderabad: Dengue stings more than usual, 20 cases in city, 86 in state in one day

HYDERABAD: Contrary to the usual trend of the dengue season coming to an end in the month of October, this year the virus has become more active with 477 new cases being reported over the last fortnight. On Tuesday alone, 86 new cases were detected in the state, 20 of which were from Hyderabad city. Apart from Hyderabad city, a spurt in cases has also been recorded from Kothagudem, Nizamabad and Medchal.

Typically, dengue season begins with the onset of monsoon in the month of June-July and subsides by the end of October.

While last year the season extended well into the month of January, the dengue season is likely to extend far beyond the usual season this year as well, said experts.

In fact, more dengue deaths have been recorded in the month of October than the last two months of this year, confirmed health authorities.

Also, the severity of dengue cases seems to have increased, said doctors. “A peculiar thing being noticed this year is an unusual proportion of rashes. Also, in many cases, severe joint pains have been found to be persistent even after the dengue fever has subsided,” said Dr Rahul Agarwal, consultant general physician.

Doctors also recount having many patients from a close vicinity, be it an entire family or roommates or immediate neighbours.

“We are seeing many members from the same family coming in at almost the same time, which clearly hints at the lack of adequate sanitation in the immediate vicinity,” said a senior doctor.