BENGALURU: Viral infection cases have been going up in Bengaluru city since June.
“Sixty out of every hundred patients that I see are viral cases. This has been the case since June,” Dr Pawan Kumar, Department of Internal Medicine, MS Ramaiah Hospital, told Express.
“Heavy bursts of rain wash away everything. But drizzles and continuous rain lead to breeding of dengue-carrying mosquitoes in water that collects. So cases increase on and off.”
Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases (RGICD) Director Dr Shashidhar Buggi confirmed that cases of viral infections are increasing. He has been seeing 100 to 150 cases every day since June. The situation was worse in April and May, he noted.
“Viral influenza is like tuberculosis. Terminally-ill cancer patients, people with renal failure and those on steroids are low on immunity and bound to get viral infections. We get cases of bilateral pneumonia all the time. We get sporadic cases of H1N1. Temperatures are not very low here, so chances of virus surviving are less. Other viral cases are increasing,” he said.
Progression of Dengue
On the stages of dengue fever, Dr Kumar said in the first three days, patients develop fever, body ache and muscle pain. Treatment is usually supportive care.
When to Hospitalise
If the fever persists and the platelet count drops to less than 50,000, the patient should be hospitalised. The patient should also be hospitalised if he/she bleeds from gum or nose and has redness or rashes.
If there is bleeding and the platelet count drops to less than 20,000, only then platelets transfusion is needed.
Dr Kumar says, “Dengue causes plasma leakage. There is collection of fluid in the lungs or abdomen. These are symptoms of dengue hemorrhagic fever. Bleeding gums/ nose or redness of eyes may occur. Then dengue shock syndrome occurs and the blood pressure falls and the patient becomes serious. Only then does he/she require ICU admission.”
Costs of treatment are high. Dr Buggi says, “ICUs in private hospitals charge anything from Rs 30,000 per day to more.”