Six cases of dengue has been reported this month at the Government Hospital alone. “Its been very virulent in Coimbatore,” said Dr. R. Soundaravel, Resident Medical Officer of Coimbatore Medical College Hospital.

“Mosquitoes breed during dry summer. Their longevity has increased. Around 95 per cent of those who got admitted for dengue have recovered. The remaining have been affected by dengue hemorrhagic fever that causes bleeding. One can see tiny blood spots on the skin. in case of few others it is the dengue shock syndrome that includes decreased appetite, fever, headache, pain in the joints or muscles and vomiting. Both are dangerous and would lead to death,” he added.

“People should be very cautious. They should drink lot of fluids and keep themselves hydrated. When they are not able to do this, we admit them and give IV fluids and keep a watch on the platelet count. If it improves then it is fine. Otherwise we give them platelet treatment along with frozen plasma. But this happens very rarely. Most of the patients recover at the medication stage itself,” Dr. Soundaravel said.

He appealed to the people to not panic and consult the doctor immediately in case they suffer any of the symptoms.