Dengue Relapse In Bengaluru: Patients Who Contracted The Disease Last Year Are Getting It Again

Reports on dengue-relapse in the city of Bangalore has been coming to the surface. Considering the monsoon season, the rampant growth of mosquitoes in the city is accorded to be the cause. The major point of the news is that the patients who had contracted the disease earlier are contracting it again. The relapse suggests that there is no such thing as if you have once suffered from the disease, you will develop the immunity against it and will not develop it later.

Doctors assert that there are seeing a number of patients who were once contracted with the disease, coming for the treatment again. It is that, when you catch dengue fever, your body will develop immunity against that specific strain and are prone towards catching other strains of the virus.

Even though the reports suggest that the numbers are comparatively low, dengue relapse is severe. The severity of the condition was revealed when a 30-year-old patient with dengue relapse came into the hospital and the doctors were unable to recoup the patient as he had internal bleeding (in the brain) and succumbed to the condition. The case was reported in a renowned hospital in Bellandur, Bangalore.

Complications Are Severe The Second Time

The doctors pointed out that, the impact of dengue (the second time) can be severe and fatal. The complications include bleeding, organ failure and shock. A senior consultant from the renowned hospital asserted that "Though a person had suffered from dengue once, he would be prone to another strain of the virus. He could get infected with a fresh bite of another mosquito".

This was supported by doctors around the city who went on to point out that, "One can develop immunity the first time, but when he gets affected for the second time, the reaction by the body is severe and morbidity is higher".

However, not all the patients suffered from dengue haemorrhagic shock as the patients would have developed certain resistance and immunity. Out of all the cases of dengue reported in the city, about 5 to 10 per cent were relapsed cases.

Prevention Is The Best Way

Keeping dengue at bay is the easiest way to go about. Instead of waiting for the authorities to take some action to control the overpopulation of mosquitoes in the city, there are various steps one can take in advance.

NS Ramakanth, co-founder of Solid Waste Management Round Table, has requested the people of Bangalore to keep an eye out for stagnant water and to dry it out immediately, to avoid the breeding of mosquitoes.

Some of the other steps to safeguard yourself are by keeping the garbage cans closed, adding few drops of kerosene on stagnant waters to stop the breeding of mosquitoes, fix mosquito nets in your houses etc.

BBMP To The Rescue?

The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has stepped in the nick of time, requesting the government to employ an entomologist for each ward to help control the dengue cases. However, the BBMP has declined the assertion that the number of dengue cases is at the highest in the year 2019.

Dr Vijendra BK, chief health officer, BBMP pointed out, "We have epidemiologists at each ward already, who help our workers to control the disease. Having an entomologist would help us further since they are experts in understanding the behaviour of insects, the life cycle of the mosquito and the chemicals that can be used to control the breeding and its population".

BBMP has also requested for more volunteers to work under the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme. The proposal is set to be sanctioned in 15 days.

With more than 1,000 dengue cases reported in the city in a mere number of 5 days as reported by the Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Services, it is time that necessary methods are taken up.