Epidemic amid Pandemic a Challenge: Dengue (LOCAL)

   Dengue is a neglected tropical disease. It is usually vector-borne and a huge challenge to the public health system in the world. The estimated annual dengue burden in the globe is nearly 390 million cases from 120 countries. During this 2nd peak of the Pandemic in Odisha, the state went under the pressure to handle Dengue as an epidemic. The initial monsoon resulted in a huge challenge to treat dengue on a priority basis. India is endemic for both dengue fever and dengue hemorrhagic fever.

    Initially, the infection was geographically limited to a few states. Later this expanded to most of the states in the country. Odisha did not have any recorded dengue cases till 2009. According to various studies conducted by different local organizations, the state contributes nearly 10-15% of total dengue cases of the country. These cases are scattered in distribution and uneven with a circulation of four serotypes of the virus.

    Now coming to Odisha state capital Bhubaneswar, the city is one of the twin cities medical hubs. The city records the greatest number of medical cases throughout the state and also from neighboring states like West Bengal and Chhattisgarh. According to Officials reports on July 11 and 12, 2021, 60 persons were diagnosed with dengue fever in Niladri Vihar & Sailashree Vihar.

    The area comes under the Chandrashekharpur area which was declared as a red zone for Dengue. Apart from these Kalpana was the other area to be worst affected. According to Niranjan Mishra, Director of public health for the state of Odisha, the root cause of Dengue spread is stagnant water in the area. He stated that health officials were monitoring all suspected dengue cases at several hospitals in Bhubaneswar. 

    Mishra personally revised all the government and private hospitals to report any cases of dengue fever as soon as possible. This aided in the identification of dengue-prone locations by the health department. The threat of a dengue epidemic in the city was easily avoided by immediate action.

    To reduce mosquito breeding, the health service has also advised the people of Bhubaneswar to maintain a ‘dry day' once a week. Coolers, water containers, pots, tires, cutlery, stagnant water, and other potential breeding locations will be thoroughly examined on this day. “Prevention is the best method to control dengue. In order to control and prevent an outbreak, it is essential to prevent the breeding of mosquitoes and people should be made aware of this. The disease could prove fatal if residents show a lackadaisical attitude towards dengue,” Mishra said. 

    Many locals have alleged that they've now no longer obtained loose drug treatments from hospitals because of which they were pressured to buy them from outside. 

    But Mishra refuted the allegation. “We have allotted drug treatments freely to patients,” he said. Dengue is unfolded with the aid of using the chunk of the striped Aedes Aegypti mosquito. Symptoms vary from a slight fever to an incapacitating excessive fever, with excessive headache, ache in the back of the eyes, muscle and joint ache, and a rash. The symptoms were much similar to Covid, this made it an actual problem for the healthcare workers to find and treat the patient.

The challenge grew when both the patients were in the same condition of fever and all other common symptoms. Dengue can be a result of 4:1 of a kind however associated lines of dengue virus. If someone has had one virus, there may be a repeat incidence of dengue if a one-of-a-kind pressure is involved subsequently.

    “Rarely, humans suffering from dengue bleed from the nose, gums, or skin. it becomes deadly as of the probably deadly dengue hemorrhagic fever,” Mishra said. He stated that every year, a budget is allotted and resources are spent on developing awareness, making sure door-to-door checking, and informing citizens on what to do in case signs had been detected.

    Guppy fish are acknowledged to feed at the larva of the mosquito that spreads the dengue virus. Therefore, the breeding of Guppy fish will assist to save you similarly breeding of the larva, with the aid of using putting the fish in ponds, drums, or locations with stagnant water, in which the larva breeds and reproduces. The city Municipal Corporation BMC has gone through a lot of processes to tackle the problem. BMC is looking for a better solution and the guppy fishes are being utilized at their best for at most success.