Cases of dengue breached the 1-lakh mark in India in 2016. The figure, 1,11,880 to be precise, was the highest in the last seven years and indicated at the country-wide prevalence of the infectious disease. West Bengal topped the list at 17,702 cases followed by Punjab (10475 cases).
Officials in the Ministry attributed the higher number of cases to better reporting, increased awareness among public and the move of bringing the disease under the notification category, asking every hospitals and clinics to notify the vector-borne disease. It was in June last year that the Ministry had issued a circular regarding notification of dengue cases, citing that dengue had become a major public health concern.
“In order to ensure early diagnosis and case management, reduce dengue transmission, address the problem of emergency and spread of disease in newer areas, it is essential to have complete information about the disease.
“A patient can be declared positive for dengue only on the basis of Elisa technique of testing and not by RDT. A patient can only be declared as a probable case of dengue on the basis of RDT technique,” it stated. This was meant to ensure that only dengue confirmed cases are registered and get requisite treatment.
Deaths due to the vector-borne disease have also been highest at 227 in 2016, as per the data available from the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) of the Ministry.
The notification also pointed out that dengue cases found positive through rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) will not be considered as a confirmed case.
The move also followed observation that rapid diagnostic test kits for dengue had 50 per cent error rate, giving false positives cases, which was resulting panic among people.
However, the total tally for 2016 has been on the higher side with 1,11,880 cases reported from across the States. It was 99913 in 2015, 40571 in 2014, 75808 in 2013.
As per the data, Uttar Pradesh has reported highest number of dengue deaths in 2016 with the figure standing at 42 against 9 last year. in contrast, Delhi which had reported highest number of deaths due to the disease at 2015, registered 10 deaths in the following year.
The States which reported unprecedented rise in dengue cases were Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Kerala, Maharashtra, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Andaman and Nicobar, Dadar and Nagar Haveli. In comparision, Haryana, Chahattisgarh, Goa, Jammu and Kahmir, Rajasthan, Sikkim, were among those States that reported decrease in cases during the period.
Zero casualty was reported by a handful of states including Arunanchal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Mizoram, Sikkim, Andaman and Nicobar island, Chandigarh, and Daman and Diu.
Dengue is caused by four different types of viruses transmitted by mosquitoes. The symptoms include fever, headache, muscle, joint pains and skin rash. There is no specific treatment for dengue but early detection and access to proper medical care lowers fatality rates below one per cent.
Man-made reasons such as urbanization, rapid industralisation and casual approach of the people in checking breeding of the mosquitoes are being attributed as the main reasons for the rise in cases.