The spate in number of cases of fever and dengue scare in the city is forcing the people to make a beeline in the pathology labs. The pathology lab of Doon hospital is witnessing a steep rise in the number of patients these days.
The technicians of pathology lab of Doon hospital here are overworked as more than 400 patients are visiting the lab on a daily basis.
The in-charge of pathology lab, Dr NK Mishra, told The Pioneer that most of the patients visiting the lab for tests are the patients of fever. He informed that Enzyme linked Immuno Sorbent Assay (ElISA) tests are performed on 50 - 60 samples daily. Mishra claimed that the hospital has abundant supply of EIlSA kits which are used as a confirmatory test for the presence of Dengue.
Dengue is threatening to assume epidemic proportion in the city as 54 patients are reported from the district. The Bhagat Singh Colony, Sanjay colony and Puran Basti are the worst affected areas in the city. The Health Department is claiming that it is conducting extensive fogging and the teams of the department are visiting every household in the affected areas.
The District Vector Borne Disease Officer, JP Bahuguna said that most of the cases of dengue are reported from the slum areas of the city. He said that the mosquito Aedes Aezypti - popularly known as Tiger Mosquito — lay its eggs in clean water but while doing the survey of the slums it was found out that garbage heaps are having large number of plastic glasses which when filled with rain water acts as a perfect breeding site for the tiger mosquito. Bahuguna advised that the breeding grounds of the mosquito should be destroyed to prevent the menace of mosquito.
Ayurveda holds key to dengue cureIJ
The Ayush experts are of the firm belief that age-old wisdom of Ayurveda can be used to treat dengue effectively. The Head of Department of Ayush department in Doon hospital Dr JN Nautiyal claimed that Tinospora cordiflora, popularly known as Giloe or Amrita and leaves of Carica papaya (Papaya), have got wonderful medicinal properties to cure dengue. He said that juice of Papaya leaves and giloe extraction help in building immunity of the body and platelet count of the dengue patients increase invariably due to them. Nautiyal said that while the allopathic system of medication has perils of drug dependence and drug tolerance, Ayurvedic medication help in building immune system. The allopathic doctors, however, are not so amused by the claims of Ayush doctors for treatment of disease like dengue. A senior physician of Doon hospital said that there is no clinical evidence of treatment of dengue by papaya leaves or giloe.