Monsoon brings along with it a host of mosquito-borne diseases including dengue, malaria, chikungunya and Zika. The mosquitoes which spread these diseases breed in stagnant water and people must avoid the accumulation of water in the vicinity to protect themselves from falling prey to these diseases. The Telangana government has taken special measures to control cases of dengue in the state.
"Special measures have been taken by the government like the opening of OPD (Out Patient Department) services in Osmania General Hospital, Gandhi Hospital, among others, where services are available for 24 hours including on holidays,” news agency ANI quoted Health Minister of Telangana, Etala Rajender, as saying.
“Tests for dengue are being conducted absolutely free of cost in these hospitals, we have also initiated measures to spread awareness regarding protection from these diseases," Rajender added.
The Health Minister of Telangana also mentioned the other measures taken to control the spread of the diseases and said, “We are spraying (larvicide) with the help of drones on ponds, pits and closed the river to control the menace of mosquito breeding. We are also fogging in all schools once in 15 days. The GHMC (Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation) is reviewing the work on
sanitation and mosquito control every day.”
Superintendent of Government Fever Hospital, Dr Shankar, told ANI that most numbers of dengue cases in the state was recorded in the last one week, but the situation is gradually improving.
"The maximum cases of dengue were recorded in the state in the past week but the situation seems to be improving with the efforts of the state administration. The opening of OPDs and other measures will help in controlling the disease from spreading," Dr Shankar said.
Talking about the symptoms, precautions and early treatment, Dr Shankar said, “Individuals suffering from fever, body pain, headache, and high temperature ranging around 103degC-104degC for 2-3 days continuously should get themselves tested for dengue. The affected persons are advised to visit a government hospital and get admitted so that the treatment can start immediately.”
Dengue fever which is also called 'break-bone fever' is caused due to the bite of Aedes aegypti mosquito, which is the main vector that transmits the viruses. The viruses are passed on to humans through the bite of an infected female Aedes mosquito.
The virus circulates in the blood of an infected person for 2-7 days. A person infected by the dengue virus develops severe flu-like symptoms. Fever, severe headache, pain behind the eyes, nausea, vomiting, swollen glands, muscle and joint pains, rash are some of the symptoms of dengue.
There is no specific treatment for dengue fever. A person who witnesses such symptoms should seek medical advice, rest and drink plenty of fluids. Avoid taking aspirin or ibuprofen, as it may increase the risk of bleeding. Instead, a person should take paracetamol to bring down fever and joint pains.
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