With the advent of winter, it was expected that the cases of Dengue would be lowered. However, the Dengue patient count has been increasing day by day, especially in states like Punjab, UP, and Bihar. For instance, till Thursday, a total of 11, 272 dengue patients were reported in Punjab, while in Uttar Pradesh over 6K patients were registered. Not only this, Bihar has also registered over 8K dengue patients. Apart from increasing dengue cases, it has been observed that people have been taking a relatively longer time in recovery. Now, the question arises as to why Dengue cases are rising, and why patients are not recovering in general time?
The answer is Dengue's new strain DENV 2. As per reports, Dengue Virus Type 2, also known as DENV 2, is the most prevalent strain among patients this season. The DENV 2 strain is reportedly considered severe as it has a tendency to cause hemorrhagic fever, thus increasing the risk of mortality.
DENV-2 or D2 strain of Dengue symptoms are high-temperature fever, vomiting, joint pain, and more. As mentioned above, in severe cases, Dengue D2 Strain can lead to internal bleeding and hemorrhagic fever.
Talking about Punjab, the cases of Dengue have surpassed its last year toll mark. In 2022, Punjab reportedly registered 11,030 cases. While in 2023, till Thursday, the state registered 11,272 cases.
It is pertinent to mention here that the D2 Strain is not a new strain. As per reports, in 2022, DEN-2 was the predominant strain, accounting for over 89% of positive dengue cases in 2022 as well in Uttar Pradesh. For the unversed, there are four strains of dengue (DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3, and DEN-4), and among them, DEN-2 is known to infect people the fastest.
Prevention from Dengue
As per WHO, dengue can be prevented. Below is what WHO suggests for Dengue prevention-
1) clothes that cover as much of your body as possible
2) mosquito nets if sleeping during the day, ideally nets sprayed with insect repellent
window screens
3) mosquito repellents (containing DEET, Picaridin or IR3535)
If you get dengue, it’s important to:
1) rest
2) drink plenty of liquids
3) use acetaminophen (paracetamol) for pain
4) avoid non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, like ibuprofen and aspirin
5) watch for severe symptoms and contact your doctor as soon as possible if you notice any.