Killer bite: Dengue spooks Bengalurueans

Bengaluru: The city’s working population, scared with the outbreak of dengue and chikungunya, is leaving nothing to chance.

“As I work long hours, I have been applying mosquito repellant on my feet, hands and neck, even though our office is not infested with mosquitoes,” says 30-year-old Keshav, who works at an MNC in Manyata Tech Park.

“I am building my immunity by drinking a lot of vegetable and fruit juices. I make it a point to wear full sleeved shirts to work,” says another techie.

Offices at various IT parks are not resorting to any major dengue-control measures, but are focusing on keeping the workspace clean.

“I have not seen any fogging happening at our workplace, but it is cleaned every day,” says Ganesh Ranjan, who works at a company situated in Prestige Tech Park located on Sarjapur-Marathahalli Outer Ring Road.

“I generally carry a mosquito spray with me and spray it under the table. It is not required, but I don’t want to take any chances,” adds Keshav.

Thanks to the dengue scare, mosquito repellent sale is also seeing a rise. “People ask for creams and sprays. Not many ask for mosquito coils nowadays as the fumes can be irritating,” says a grocery store owner at Thippasandra Market.

“Patients are becoming increasingly aware of the medications and preventive methods for dengue. A large number of people are coming for check-ups even if they are suffering from minor body aches and a slight fever which could only be viral,” says Dr Sagorika Mullick, Chief Medical Officer at the Family Doctor Clinic network. She advises her patients to use mosquito nets or repellents and also to wear protective clothing to protect against mosquito bites.

“Early diagnosis and treatment is very important to reduce the risk of complications. Certain laboratory tests can detect evidence of the dengue viruses in your blood. Two types of blood test that can be used to diagnose dengue fever are Nucleic Acid test to detect the presence of virus and antibody testing to detect the antibodies against the virus,” Dr Mullick says.