NEW DELHI: It’s dengueseason, but the city is in the grip of swine flu and chikungunya as well. Where 2016 saw fewer than 200 cases of swine flu, the count is already nearing 2,000 this year. The viral disease has killed at least five people while a 12-year-old died of dengue in south Delhi‘s Humayunpurlast week.
Those are only the official figures – five top hospitals told TOI they have recorded more than 40 swine flu deaths this year. Dengue is also spreading faster than in 2016, with roughly 30% more infections in July this year.
While chikungunya wracked the city during August December last year, cases this year have been reported all through, with a clear uptick July onwards.
It’s unusual for three viral diseases to strike at the same time. “In 20 years of clinical experience, I have not seen this kind of spread of viral illnesses in Delhi. Dengue and swine flu are spreading with similar intensity. People have also tested positive
for chikungunya,” said Dr Suranjit Chatterjee, senior consultant, internal medicine, Apollo hospital. Some patients have also been diagnosed with multiple infections, for example, dengue and typhoid.
“Four members of my family have been down with fever for a week. One of them has tested positive for dengue,” said Kalpana Sharma, a resident of Greater Kailash-1, who is recovering from viral fever. “The fever takes a week or more to subside these days and the after-effects, like bodyache and fatigue, last even longer.” The bad news is that the worst is yet to come as these viral diseases spread faster in September and October. “High levels of humidity in August, September and October aid virus growth and transmission,” said Dr A C Dhariwal, director of National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
