Now thedengue epidemic is really scaring theIndia. Last night the government decided that all schools of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh will remain closed from today until September 6. The decision was made to try to stem the advance of the virus which results in a contagious and deadly fever. In fact, since last week, the mysterious disease has killed more than 70 people including many children. The state health minister, Jai Pratap Singh, has long denied the data, claiming that he is not sure to talk about dengue.
The authorities were criticized for negligence, for minimizing the occurrence of cases, and for not sounding the alarm in time. After Governor Yogi Adityanath said yesterday that it is dengue, Undersecretary of Health Amit Mohan Prasad admitted this morning that “although we are still trying to identify the precise cause, all the symptoms point to dengue” .
Denque, what is mosquito-borne fever
Of viral origin, dengue is caused by four very similar viruses (Den-1, Den-2, Den-3 and Den-4) and is transmitted to humans by mosquito bites which, in turn, bite an infected person. There is therefore no direct contagion between humans, even if humans are the main host of the virus. The virus circulates in the blood of the infected person for 2-7 days, and during this time the mosquito can pick it up and pass it on to others. In the western hemisphere, the main vector is the Aedes aegypti mosquito, although cases transmitted by Aedes albopictus have been recorded.
Dengue has been known for over two centuries, and is particularly present during and after the rainy season in tropical and subtropical areas of Africa, Southeast Asia and China, India, the Middle East, Latin and Central America, Australia and various parts of the Pacific. In recent decades, the prevalence of dengue has increased in many tropical regions. In the countries of the northern hemisphere, in particular in Europe, it constitutes a danger from a global health perspective, since it manifests itself mainly as an imported disease, the increase of which is due to the increased frequency of movements of goods and people.
Symptoms and Diagnosis
Normally the disease gives rise to fever within 5-6 days from mosquito bites, even with very high temperatures. Fever is accompanied by acute headaches, pains around and behind the eyes, severe pain in the muscles and joints, nausea and vomiting, skin irritations that can appear on most parts of the body 3-4 days after the onset of fever. Typical symptoms are often absent in children. Diagnosis is usually made on the basis of symptoms, but can be more accurate by looking for the virus or specific antibodies in blood samples.
Karnataka govt to reopen schools for Class 6-8 from September 6 https://t.co/TZcP6eTABB pic.twitter.com/86sV52yunf
— The Times Of India (@timesofindia) August 31, 2021
The anger of the population
In recent days, the epidemic, particularly aggressive in the Firozabad district, had unleashed the anger of the population against the state’s health department, the largest and most populous in the country. The authorities were criticized for neglect and for minimizing the occurrence of cases, and for not sounding the alarm in time. Reporters from various media visited the area and denied the official story, revealing that most of the victims reported very high fever, dehydration, headache, and a sudden drop in platelets, known symptoms of Dengue.
According to the Times of India, 72 of the 135 children currently admitted to Firozabad Medical College are in very serious condition, and at least half of them show the unambiguous symptoms of dengue. Doctors revealed that 12 children have died in the past 24 hours alone. “The situation in many districts is alarming,” denounces Manish Asija, a member of the state legislature, who says that “floods and the total lack of minimum sanitation and hygiene measures are the cause of the disastrous spread of dengue.”
Last updated: Wednesday 1 September 2021, 10:43
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