Vector-borne diseases rear up in Ahmedabad

AHMEDABAD: As the rains continued their hide-and-seek with the city, the cloudy weather, fall in temperatures and accumulation of water in many open areas have given rise to vector-borne diseases in the city. While cases of malaria are few, many patients are coming in with dengue and chikungunya, city-based doctors said.

Dr Kirit Gadhvi, president of Ahmedabad Medical Association (AMA), said the increase in cases is manyfold. “Till mid-July, there were just a few cases reported. In the last seven to ten days, almost all areas of the city have reported a spike in cases. The hospitalization rate is still low with increased awareness, as the majority of such patients undergo Covid tests after getting a fever and then get diagnosed with dengue or chikungunya,” he said.
“I used to see about one or two patients with vector-borne diseases 10 days ago. Today the number is 10-20 every day,” said Dr Rakesh Sharma, a physician based in Ghatlodia. “The number of chikungunya cases is more than those of dengue. Compared to the pre-Covid period, the severity of cases is greater, and several patients needed hospitalization.”
Dr Pravin Garg, a city-based physician, added that the number of cases and severity have increased in the past few days. Their platelet counts drop rapidly, and patients also present symptoms such as severe stomachache along with fever, experts said.
“If the cloudy weather persists, we expect more cases to emerge due to the conducive environment for mosquito breeding,” said Dr Mehul Shelat, a city-based physician. “As we exercised caution for Covid-19, we must be on guard to prevent vector-borne disease in our families. Ensure that water accumulation is not taking place near your homes. Avoid eating out.”
Experts at both Asarwa Civil Hospital and Sola Civil Hospital said patients have started trickling in, but the numbers are still in single digits. They added that this may be due to early diagnosis and treatment at home.