Medics warn of a surge in dengue cases

Epidemiological figures reveal that so far 30,765 dengue patients have been detected in Sri Lanka for 2021. With the prevailing weather medics have experienced a spike in cases. “In November there were close to 4561 cases and so far we have identified around 3715 cases for December,” opined Dr. Shilanthi Seneviratne, Consultant Community Physician at the National Dengue Control Unit.

She further said that 60% of cases have been detected from the Western Province. However, symptoms for COVID and dengue are more often similar. “Out of the total, around 5% of patients are children between 1-4 years of age, 25% of patients are children and teens between 5-19 years and 66% of patients are adults between 20-64 years,” Dr. Seneviratne added.

“It’s difficult to distinguish between dengue and COVID-19 unless you do the relevant tests. But if you have fever or a headache for more than two days, it’s advisable to get a full blood count. However, if you haven’t followed health guidelines and suspect about being a first contact it’s better to get a Rapid Antigen Test done,” she advised further.

Millions of people living in tropical and subtropical regions get infected by one or more of the four serotypes of dengue viruses every year. Since the virus has four serotypes it means that it is possible to be infected four times. Several hundreds and thousands of these infections, especially among children progress to a life-threatening illness known as dengue hemorrhagic fever.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) states that severe dengue is a leading cause of serious illness and death in some Asian and Latin American countries. Although less common, some people develop severe dengue, which can be any number of complications associated with severe bleeding, organ impairment and/or plasma leakage.

Symptoms for dengue

Dengue should be suspected when a high fever (40°C/104°F) is accompanied by 2 of the following symptoms during the febrile phase:

• severe headache
• pain behind the eyes
• muscle and joint pains
• nausea
• vomitting
• swollen glands
• rash

Symptoms for severe dengue

A patient enters what is called the critical phase normally about 3-7 days after illness onset. It is at this time, when the fever is dropping (below 38°C/100°F) in the patient, that warning signs associated with severe dengue can manifest.

Severe dengue is a potentially fatal complication, due to plasma leaking, fluid accumulation, respiratory distress, severe bleeding, or organ impairment.

Warning signs that doctors should look for include:

• severe abdominal pain
• persistent vomitting
• rapid breathing
• bleeding gums
• fatigue
• restlessness
• blood in vomit.

If patients manifest these symptoms during the critical phase, close observation for the next 24–48 hours is essential so that proper medical care can be provided, to avoid complications and risk of death.