Dengue fever in India - bi-weekly summary

Reports of people infected with dengue fever virus continue to increase across India. Affected states and localities include:

• Delhi - New Delhi reports dramatic increase in cases in August; hospitals stressed.
• Madhya Pradesh - infected people reported across the state, including Bhopal; 2 deaths.
• Uttar Pradesh - cities of Agra, Bareilly, Ghaziabad and Lucknow are reporting cases; Sharma District (Meerut hospitals overwhelmed) affected.
• Punjab - Armritsar District reports increasing numbers of cases.
• Karnataka - 2 deaths in Belgaum District.
• Gujarat - Ahmedabad city hospitals reported overwhelmed with patients with dengue fever; patients sharing same bed.
• Chandigarh - 5 deaths reported with steady increase in infected patients.
• Maharashtra - city of Nagpur affected.
• West Bengal - highest dengue deaths in country (more than 30 dengue-related deaths out of almost 6,000 cases); city of Kolkata reports 30 deaths.
• Bihar - capital city Patna reporting rapid increase in number of cases.
• Uttarakhand (formerly called Uttaranchal) - city of Dehradun affected.
• Mizoram - sporadic cases reported.

The most cases have been reported by the state of Kerala, followed by Orissa, West Bengal, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Assam in that order.

Advice

After monsoon rains, mosquito activity increases along with the risk of exposure to dengue fever. The risk of exposure will vary from place to place and may be high in many localities. There is also a risk of exposure to other viruses like chikungunya that are transmitted by the same mosquito.

All travellers to areas where the dengue fever virus is active can reduce their risk of exposure by taking all necessary precautions to avoid mosquito bites. Many persons with dengue fever do not seek medical care and are not reported to health authorities. There may be many more cases in the community than the reports indicate.