10 per cent of community at risk of getting dengue: Dr K K Aggarwal

How serious is the dengue threat?
It is a disease of global warming. Dengue will persist and will not go. In Bengaluru or any other metro 10 per cent of the community is at risk of getting it.  Which means in a city with a population of nearly one crore some 10 lakh people are likely to suffer from it. This is a huge number.

People panic when they get high fever and rush to hospitals. Is this neccessary?
Until the stage of  fever there is no risk. If there is itching, it is not a cause of worry as it means that recovery has started. People get panicky when the platelet count falls, but even if it is low and the blood is thin, they don’t need to worry as there is no danger.

When should they begin to worry?
If the platelet count is low and the blood is thick, that should cause alarm as it is definitely a sign of worry. At this time one should get the systolic blood pressure and the diastolic blood pressure checked. If the difference is less than 20 mm/Hg the patient can have serious complications.  It is very important to get that checked and it is free of cost.  

What is the next step if  the difference is less than 20mm/Hg?
If  a  patient’s upper and lower blood pressure is low he requires immediate fluid replacement. An adult should get 1.5 litres of fluid  administered within half- an- hour. This is very important.

Could you elaborate on the mosquito which spreads dengue?
The Aedes aegypti or Tiger Mosquito , the carrier of dengue, does not make any noise when flying  like other mosquitoes do.  It  is called the cockroach of mosquitoes because it is so hard to kill. Also, in one day it bites three people, which means all three  are highly likely to get dengue in just a day . If one person in a house has dengue, then  the 50 houses around it should take extra precautions not to let it breed in around them.

What can be done to stop its breeding ?
A mosquito does not  know whether it is morning or night, or whether there is fresh or stale water. Human beings are primarily responsible for the presence of the Aedes aegypti in their environment through poor sanitation practices, improper solid waste disposal, unsafe water storage and poor pool management. Fogging alone cannot help.

What about surveillance as a prevention?
Surveillance systems in most states and municipalities are geared towards night-biting mosquitoes that breed in larger bodies of water. They are not likely to detect the Aedes aegypti, which breeds in flower pots, tyres, trash and small pools of water. Unlike many other types of mosquitoes, Aedes aegypti’s eggs can dry out and cling to container surfaces, waiting for the next rain to revive them.

What are the symptoms of dengue we need to watch out for?
Some of the typical symptoms  are fever, vomiting, headache, nausea, red rashes on the lower limbs and chest, pain behind the eyes and joint and muscle pain. The disease is characterised by a low platelet count. But transfusion is not needed until the count is less than 10,000 and there is active bleeding.