Sudden Onset of Rains Spikes Influenza Cases

Hyderabad: The ongoing rain spell has shown a clear dominance of viral infections, particularly Influenza-like illness in several spell of rainfall has coincided with a marked rise in viral infections, particularly Influenza-like Illness urban and peri-urban settlements. The findings come from 12,575 patient visits from the 12 primary health centres run by a healthcare NGO.

The PHCs located in Tolichowki, Rajendranagar, Kishanbagh, Hasannagar, Kalapather, Pahadisharif, Jalpally, Shaheennagar, and Errakunta, covering over 100 urban slums, have revealed that while dengue fear prevails among citizens, the lab tests for dengue are coming out to be negative. It is the flu that is taking over vector-borne diseases.

Among the houses visited, according to Helping Hand Foundation, around half had infectious diseases (6,323 cases). Others included bacterial infections (19 per cent), fungal infections (seven per cent), parasitic infections (one per cent and others.

Primary health issues such as body pains, headaches, gastrointestinal discomfort, fever with chills and skin rashes formed another large cohort of cases, with body pain and headache alone making up over one-third (36 per cent) of this category.

"Diagnostic centres across the city shared the data of over 3,000 dengue test samples in the last seven days. Dengue was found negative in many areas like Retibowli, Rajendranagar, Attapur, Tolichowki, Hakimpet, Old City areas like Bandlaguda, Chandrayangutta, etc. There is general fear and concern in the public about dengue as of now," said Mujtaba Askari of the Foundation.

Most patients with influenza were suffering from high-grade fever (≥102°F), often with night rise, severe body aches, headache, nausea, cough and cold, which may be intermittent or absent.

“Most cases are self-limiting and the patient recovers within seven days,” said Dr Usaid Ahmed, chief medical officer at a PHC in Shaheennagar. “Many patients, due to the intensity of fever and body pain, are demanding admission even in the absence of complications. And are going from one clinic to another anxiously assuming that treatment is not effective," he added.

"Dengue and other tropical bacterial diseases have been spreading rapidly over the past three weeks. Dengue symptoms typically include high-grade fever and a drop in platelet count. Warning signs to watch for are high fever accompanied by reduced urine output or extreme fatigue," said Dr Aarathi Bellary, consultant, internal medicine.

"Other viral illnesses, such as seasonal flu, may present with cough and breathing difficulty. With rain and waterlogging, cases of leptospirosis and malaria are also being reported,” Dr Bellary added.

Docs’s advise

Any fever that does not subside by the third or fourth day should be promptly tested and treated.

Wear protective clothing, maintain basic hygiene, and stay well-hydrated during fever.

In dengue, life-threatening signs include any form of bleeding.

While severe dengue cases have been observed, most patients are recovering.

This season, diarrhoea has also emerged as a new cause for concern.