Dengue stalks city

In two months, of the 100 blood samples tested by 50 doctors working with the KEM project, 50 per cent were found positive for dengue antibodies. Of these, 30 per cent had bleeding from the gums, nose or blood spots, an advanced condition that needs immediate hospitalisation.

Dr R R Gadia, assigned registrar at KEM, is emphatic that the number of cases is slowly on the rise – from a few cases every month to a couple of dozen cases every week, with incidences of bleeding and coma – and it is time to actively start preventive measures.

“The number of dengue cases has increased from two per month to 10 per month within a span of three years and in the last two months we have come across 54 cases of dengue, I believe it is cause for concern,” said Dr Gadia, addressing a press conference this morning.

Doctors are emphatic, however, that there is no need for panic as only five per cent of dengue cases are of dengue hemorrhagic fever that claimed 500 lives in Delhi two years ago. This can lead to death if not treated in time.