Fever cases rise in Chennai, neighbour districts; dengue cases under control

CHENNAI: Not just Chennai but neighbouring Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, and Tiruvallur districts are also witnessing a steady rise in the number of fever cases as state health department officials claim dengue cases are under control across the state.

Dengue Control Measures, Viral Fever Doctors say that water collection and storage, and the lack of hygiene are major causes of this. Chikungunya, leptospirosis, viral fever, and other viral infections are reported in addition to dengue.

Dr S Chandrasekhar, head of general medicine at Stanley Medical College and Hospital, shared the ailments mostly reported by patients, “Most of the patients report joint pain, rashes, cold and fatigue as well. The dengue cases reported so far have recovered. The first four to five days of the infection are important, and it is crucial to stay hydrated. If the patients do not hydrate well, they can have low BP and problems in freely urinating.”

Doctors also emphasize the need to monitor white blood cell and platelet count, which could decline due to slow recovery. Inadequate hydration and low platelet count can make a patient’s condition critical.

Meanwhile, the neighbouring districts are seeing a surge in fever cases that require close monitoring, but dengue cases remain under control.

“We are seeing close to 50 cases of fever as out-patients and about 30 fever cases as in-patients daily, but the number keeps varying. The dengue cases are under control, and we currently have about 5-6 cases at the hospital. The number of dengue cases has not seen a major outbreak,” said J Revathy, the dean of Tiruvallur Government Hospital.

The Kancheepuram district health department officials also state that there is a surge in fever cases, and they need to be cautious about the rise of dengue in the coming months.

The officials from Chengalpattu stated that though there are no fatalities due to dengue, and the fever cases are surging due to seasonal changes.