Hospitals and clinics in Calcutta are teeming with fever patients, and the majority of them are testing positive for dengue.
Many patients are also suffering from common viral infections. Doctors are more concerned about dengue, because in many cases the disease is taking a serious turn.
At Peerless Hospital, over 20 patients with fever are turning up at the Emergency ward daily on an average, said an official. The OPD is also filled with fever patients. The hospital has 54 dengue patients under treatment at the moment.
Doctors and officials at Infectious Diseases Hospital, Beleghata, Woodlands Hospital and AMRI Hospitals Mukundapur said they were facing a similar situation.
Chandramouli Bhattacharya, an infectious disease specialist at Peerless Hospital, said half the fever patients are testing positive for dengue.
“The others are suffering from bacterial pneumonia, influenza and similar viral infections, malaria and urinary tract infection,” said Bhattacharya.
A significant number of patients, he pointed out, are also suffering from influenza and similar viral infections.
At AMRI Mukundapur, 33 dengue patients were under treatment on Sunday. Amitabha Saha, head of critical care unit at the hospital, said a large number of patients are suffering from dengue and upper respiratory tract infections.
“Cold and cough and dengue are predominant, he said.
Many hospitals are asking fever patients turning up at Emergency to get tested for dengue.
“The ones who are testing positive for dengue are being admitted, based on their condition. The rest are being sent home,” said an official at a private hospital.
Biswajit Ghoshdastidar, director of internal medicine at Woodlands Hospital, said 50 per cent of the fever patients were testing positive for dengue.
“Dengue is the most prevalent infection now and 50 per cent of all fever patients are testing positive for the disease. Other viral infections like influenza account for about 30 per cent of the cases,” he said.
Kaushik Chaudhuri, a doctor at Beleghata ID Hospital, said the hospital was filled with fever patients, a large number of whom are suffering from dengue.
A doctor said family members should get a dengue patient admitted to hospital if they come across any of these symptoms: drowsiness, severe and persistent abdominal pain, continuous vomiting, inability to drink adequate fluid owing to nausea or vomiting or other factors, reduced urine output, breathing trouble, major bleeding from nose or through stool or vomit.
More than 3,800 dengue cases have been reported in the city since January.
Ghoshdastidar and an official of another hospital said a few cases of swine flu have also been reported.
“People should not panic if they have dengue. They should not focus only on platelet count. Rather, if a patient feels very unwell or has a collapsing feeling, they should immediately consult a doctor,” said Ghoshdastidar.
He also advised caution for flu patients, especially the elderly and those with comorbidities. Many doctors advised that such people should take the flu vaccine.