Dengue-like disease confounds doctors

Doctors in Bandra have expressed bafflement at the large number of patients approaching them with complaints of joint pain, numbness and sudden weakness. The doctors say that while some of these are symptoms of dengue, there is a different kind of viral attack that they are unaware of and hence, are prescribing antibiotics and multivitamins. While tests done by some patients show that it is dengue negative there is a fall in hemoglobin count. Families of patients say that it is taking at least seven days for patients to recover.

Dr S. Lokhandwala, a general physician from Hill Road, said, “Patients complain of fever, sudden weakness and joint pain especially in the knee and fingers. As their tests are dengue negative it is difficult to ascertain the type of medication to give to them. But they are responding to antibiotics and hence, I have prescribed the same for the past fortnight.” He added that on an average he was seeing 25-30 patients with similar symptoms everyday.

Doctors from the upmarket Pali Hill and Link Road areas of Bandra also concurred and said that there had been a sudden spurt in such cases and hence they suspected it could be water- or vector- borne disease that is affecting the patients. “The disease is affecting members of entire families and hence it is difficult to say whether it is contagious or water-borne. I advice patients to drink boiled water and increase the intake of nutrient rich food and avoid roadside fare,” said Dr A. Badami, another practitioner from Bandra.

Dr Om Shrivastav, director of the department of infectious disease, said, “This fever has remained unnamed but its is a vector born disease showing same symptoms like dengue. People should not self-medicate. There is no specific drug to treat it, as it is important to start treatment early in such infections,” he said.

“Symptoms of such fever have to be treated to manage the condition. Low platelet count is not the only feature of dengue infection but in these cases it is affected on haemoglobin. The risk of developing complications reduces if the patient is kept hydrated with pain relief and bed rest,” said Dr Srivastav.