Almost 80% of dengue patients recorded so far this year have required hospitalisation. According to the health authorities, 151 (78.6 percent) of 192 dengue cases in Ghaziabad have been hospitalised. At the moment, 45 such patients are being treated in hospitals, 42 of which are in private facilities.
Although no fatalities have been officially recorded, the hospitalisation rate is concerning, and many severe to critical patients with dengue symptoms have been observed at private hospitals.
Health officials said they are keeping tabs on the situation. “Most of the patients are being admitted as a precautionary measure and being discharged after three-four days. This is also evident from the daily reports as the number of patients in hospitals remains around 35-40 daily,” Ghaziabad chief medical officer (CMO) Dr Bhavtosh Shankhdhar said.
“It is a good thing that patients are coming to hospitals on time and getting treatment. Hospitals have also been asked to keep them in observation if there are indications of their health worsening,” the CMO added.
According to medical professionals, the most common reason for hospitalisation is a low platelet count. Several patients with dengue complications, such as serositis (a disease in which tissues in the belly, heart, and lungs swell with fluid), have also been hospitalised.
Dr Nishesh Jain, senior consultant (internal medicine) at Max Hospital, Vaishali, said: “Every patient who is diagnosed with dengue doesn’t require admission. There are set guidelines for admission. Either they have fluid overload symptoms, low platelet count or some other complications, like cardiac ailments or uncontrolled diabetes.” Jain said out of 35-40 dengue patients he has seen till now, 15 have been hospitalised.
At Yashoda Hospital in Nehru Nagar, 20 dengue patients have been admitted and 20% were found to be suffering from haemorrhage.
“We are a tertiary care hospital, so we generally get patients in a serious condition. But we have not seen any patient with severe bleeding or dengue shock,” Dr Saurabh Gupta, senior consultant of internal medicine at the hospital, said.
