New Delhi

In a sharp contrast with the frenzied chaos around her, 37-year-old Thenkodi lay listless on a bed in the general ward of Safdarjung Hospital in the national capital yesterday.

She was brought to the hospital by her daughter Saundarya when she found her mother’s platelet count had dropped to 4,000 on October 23. “After suffering with 105 degree fever ( 105° C) for three days, my mother was first referred by a private hospital in Pitampura to AIIMS ( All India Institute of Medical Sciences) where she was turned away due to lack of oxygen facility and referred to Safdarjung hospital instead on Sunday (October 24),” the 21-year-old told Gaon Connection. 

Thenkodi wasn’t the only patient admitted in the hospital with dengue-like symptoms — high fever and a drop in the platelet count.  At least 50 patients with similar symptoms were being treated in the hospital’s general ward whose capacity is 48. Gaon Connection also found that on some beds two patients were being treated.

It is for the first time in three years that the number of dengue cases in Delhi have crossed the 1000-mark within the month of October as cases have been reported in the last week itself. 

As per the data released by the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), the number of cases of dengue stood at 1006 in Delhi as on October 23. Out of the 1,006 cases that have been reported, 665 dengue cases have been recorded in this month alone. In the subsequent week, as on October 30, the cases had risen to 1537.

The number of dengue cases being reported this year is lingering close to the 2018 figure wherein 1,310 cases were reported till October. The years 2020 and 2019 witnessed a relatively lesser number of cases with 489 and 833 cases being recorded respectively till October. The total number of dengue cases in the last six years was highest in 2017 at 4,726 which dipped to 2,798 in 2018, 2,036 in 2019, and 1,072 total cases were reported in 2020. 

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As per the official data, till now six deaths due to dengue have been recorded, out of which 5 deaths were recorded in the last week of October. The data indicated that South Delhi has reported the highest dengue cases till date which stood at 127, whereas the exact location of the incidence of  184 cases was not traceable, as per the official data. 

“When we first came to the hospital last Sunday, on October 24, we were told we will have to share the bed with another patient. Two patients were being admitted on one bed because of the rise in the number of cases. It was only after the other patient was discharged that we got a bed for my mother’s treatment,” said Saundarya. 

Lack of beds has left patients helpless and in a dire situation

Unlike Thenkodi, many patients were lying on the floor, with a small bedding (mattress) in the corridors of the medicine ward of Safdarjung, desperately waiting for a bed to be allotted to them.

Gaon Connection talked to one such patient — Tabish, a 23-year-old student, who was admitted today in the morning and still hadn’t been able to find a bed. 

As per her, she was first tested for dengue at a private hospital in Kapashera and tested positive. 

“The hospital referred me to Safdarjung. My blood samples were taken in the morning and I was provided with glucose, but no one has come to attend me since then,” she complained. 

Why are dengue cases rising in Delhi? 

Talking about the rise in the number of cases, a doctor at Safdarjung told Gaon Connection on the condition of anonymity that private hospitals refer every patient with low platelet count to Safdarjung Hospital – irrespective of the fact whether they have dengue or not. He explained that platelet count is not the only indicator of dengue cases, a serology test is conducted which affirms whether the patient has dengue or not. 

“The dengue serology test takes three to four days to verify whether the patient is suffering from dengue or not whereas private hospitals, infact even hospitals like Lok Nayak Hospital and Ram Manohar Lohia refer their patients to us. We can’t turn them away since this hospital has a policy of not turning away its patients,” he told Gaon Connection. 
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“It is true that 150-200 cases of dengue-like symptoms are being reported to the hospital daily but for every 50 cases of dengue, 10 are confirmed whereas 40 cases have low platelets count which may not necessarily be due to dengue,” he added.

Talking about the reason behind the spike in number of dengue cases this year as compared to last year, the doctor said that while it’s true that it’s the season when the spread of dengue virus is optimum however, he also highlighted the lack of government’s initiatives to raise awareness and take measures to curb the disease.

 “Last year, the government launched a campaign to stop mosquito breeding. This year, the initiative wasn’t promoted proactively. Not much cleaning was done, no fogging was done and as a result, the cases have risen,” he told Gaon Connection. 

In a similar vein, Saundarya, the ailing woman’s daughter, told Gaon Connection that no fogging was done by the government this season. “Usually fogging is done very punctually in Shakurpur, where I live, however this year it was only done once and no campaign to raise awareness about dengue took place,” she said.

As per news report, Mansukh Mandaviya, the Union minister for health will chair a review meeting on November 1 since dengue cases in Delhi are witnessing an alarming surge. The meeting will be held at 10am and the health minister will also discuss ways on how the Centre can assist the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) led Delhi government in curbing the surge in cases.