There is an emergency situation in the hospitals of Delhi. Frantic parents of young children and even adults are lining up to get tested for Chikungunya, a deadly vector-borne disease.
You can call these long queues unusual, because the hospitals say that they haven't seen numbers like this in months! Indicating that this deadly virus is on the rise in the capital and the country and is affecting more children than earlier expected.
Chikungunya numbers are increasing by the day
The official numbers reported by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) show that Delhi has seen only 20 cases of Chikungunya. But, the official figures (so far) by All Indian Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) show that the numbers are in fact, nearly 20 times this number.
The AIIMS data shows that 391 samples have tested positive till August 20. This meant that 92 percent samples tested positive in July and August. But these are not just Delhi figures, but also includes those affected from other states from east, west and even south.
In addition, the data by the National Vector Borne Disease Control (NVBDC) supports the claims made by AIIMS and suggests that at least 256 cases of Chikungunya have been reported from various Delhi hospitals.
Now, what do these figures mean for parents?
Why parents should worry...
They mean that this mosquito-borne illness, which is transmitted to humans by infected mosquitoes is on the rise and is fast affecting children and even adults.
Dr A C Dhariwal, director, NVBDC, told The Indian Express that the “positivity in Chikungunya is higher than Dengue” in the capital. “We can clearly state that this year the positivity in Chikungunya is higher than dengue. Incubation period is very low in case of Chikungunya, therefore the spread is more. We can also say that Chikungunya is an emerging infection,” Dhariwal said.
Continue reading to see if your kid has the following symptoms and how you can prevent Chikungunya.
Symptoms of Chikungunya
So if you are sending your kid to school and he/she comes back with a rash or fever, know that these are common symptoms of Chikungunya. Usually the symptoms start setting in by the fourth or the fifth day after the bite and the infection lasts for upto 10 days.
But here are more symptoms of this deadly diseases that you should be aware of:
- Fever
- Severe joint pain
- Nausea
- Fatigue
- Rashes on face, arms and legs
If you spot any of these symptoms, you must immediately rush your kid to a hospital. That's because there is no specific vaccine or antivirals for this infection, and the treatment is primarily symptomatic.
The doctors might prescribe analgesic and fluids to relieve your kid off joint pains. In such a situation, remember to not administer non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like aspirin, diclofenac or ibuprofen.
However, prevention is the best cure. Instead of waiting for this to not happen, you can make a few changes at your home to make it a safe and mosquito-free zone.
Precautions from Chikungunya
The mosquitoes that lead to this deadly disease are usually found indoor in flower vases and water storage pots and vessels. So start by clearing any excess water in the house and keeping it dry.
The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests some other important measures that you must take in order to prevent this diseases from affecting your family.
- Use air conditioning or screens to keep mosquitoes outside. If you are not able to protect yourself from mosquitoes inside your home, sleep under a mosquito bed net.
- Help reduce the number of mosquitoes outside your home by emptying standing water from containers such as flowerpots or buckets.
- When weather permits, wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants.
- Use insect repellents
- Repellents containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, and oil of lemon eucalyptus or para-menthane-diol provide long-lasting protection.
- If you use both sunscreen and insect repellent, apply the sunscreen first and then the repellent.
- Do not spray repellent on the skin under your clothing.
- Treat clothing with permethrin or purchase permethrin-treated clothing.
- Always follow the label instructions when using insect repellent or sunscreen.
Read: 11 tips to deal with Dengue before it strikes
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(Image courtesy: IE)
