Dengue cases growing, NMC still stuck with Covid work

Nagpur: Even as 14 more cases of dengue were confirmed in a week, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) is yet to start survey of homes to look for mosquito breeding spots in each of its 10 zones. Fever clinics too have not started.
Last week, the civic chief had asked all zones to survey at least 500 homes in the vicinity of each positive patient and conduct fever clinics.
The zones were unable to initiate the action as most of the staff was still deployed in Covid duties.
Amid this, admissions of dengue cases have gone up at private hospitals and medical colleges. A few private hospitals are unable to admit more dengue patients due to lack of bed.
Rush of regular patients too has increased. In such a situation, hospitals are not able to admit more than 15 dengue patients. At the medical colleges, around same number of patients are in admission.
Dr Atul Somani, critical care consultant and physician at Kingsway Hospital, said they currently have 10 dengue patients. “The number may probably increase due to rains. Citizens need to take precautions and protect themselves. Comorbid patients having fever and bodyache are suspected dengue patients but testing negative. Yet, not everyone is needing admission. It is recommended when BP or SPO2 is down,” said Dr Somani.
Dr Tushar Gawad, director (Administration), Alexis Multispeciality Hospital, said they are getting a steady flow of dengue cases. “Probably, dengue prevalence has increased as compared to last year due to more favourable climatic conditions for breeding of mosquitoes. Also, last year people were at home due to lockdown. This year relatively more people are venturing out though there are restrictions in place,” said Dr Gawad.
Dr Gawad further said that numbers may have gone up because due to decline in Covid-19 cases, more people are visiting hospitals and getting themselves tested for dengue, malaria etc.
The administration is trying its best to prevent dengue, he said and added, their resources have been stretched due to Covid-19 pandemic. “People need to be educated and take necessary precautions to safeguard themselves from dengue,” he said.
IGGMCH deputy medical superintendent Dr Sagar Pandey said that dengue patients have increased as compared to last year. “As flow of regular patients has increased, we have opened three medicine wards,” he said.
NMC officials said that field staff couldn’t join till Saturday. Guidelines regarding collection of serum samples and survey have been issued and work would take off from this week, they said.