74pc dengue patients die of shock syndrome
This year most dengue patients have been identified with Den-3 infection
With fever twelve-year-old Lamia was admitted to Dhaka Shishu Hospital on July 15. But the next day she died.
Doctors said the cause of her death was dengue shock syndrome.
Another youth named Zishan died for the same reason while undergoing treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
Like Lamia and Zishan, this year, 74 percent death from dengue were because of shock syndrome, according to the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR).
Till date, the IEDCR has confirmed the death of 57 people from the mosquito-borne disease, dengue.
Physicians said patients fall unconscious because of bleeding and dehydration under the impact of the syndrome.
Dhaka Shishu Hospital has formed a dengue cell to control the disease.
This year most dengue patients have been identified with Den-3 infection, Dr Rizwanul Ahsan, a member of the team told The Business Standard
With this type of infection, a patient goes into shock syndrome after suffering from fever for only a day or two. The patient’s pulse and pressure fall quickly. Different organs, including lung, are affected, he added.
So, if anyone has fever, he should be taken to a doctor quickly, Dr Rizwanul advised.
Last year 26 persons died of dengue. Of them nine died from dengue shock syndrome. Sixteen died of dengue hemorrhagic fever.
Last year the main cause behind death was dengue hemorrhagic fever, this year it is dengue shock syndrome, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
This time Dengue Virus-3 is more prevalent. Its symptoms and complexity are much more serious. This is why the deaths from shock syndrome is higher, according to the IEDCR.
To prevent shock syndrome, the dengue treatment guideline has to be followed thoroughly. Fluid management of the patient’s body is a complex issue. The guideline clearly spells out how it should be done. So, we are putting emphasis on conforming to the guideline, said Director of IEDCR Prof Meerjady Sabrina Flora.
Dr Robeda Amin, Associate Professor of Medicine Department at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), told The Business Standard, if the patient remains in shock for long, multi-organ failure occurs. That is why, more patients are now dying from dengue shock syndrome.
So if anyone suffers from fever, they have to be given more liquid at home to stop them from going into shock.
There are some danger signs. If those appear, the patient has to be admitted to hospital quickly. If he goes into shock, complexities may arise. Then the patient’s life cannot be saved even if adequate fluid is given, Dr Robeda said.
Number of patients decreasing but deaths increasing
Although the number of dengue patients has halved, incidences of death are on the rise.
On August 7 this year, some 2,428 patients were admitted to different hospitals in a single day, which crossed all previous records. Since then the situation has been improving gradually.
In the last 24 hours (8am Friday to 8 am Saturday), some 760 dengue patients have been admitted to different hospitals in the country, which is lowest in the last one month, as per the data of the Health Emergency Operation Centre and Control Room of the DGHS.
However, the rate of death is not falling. Every day more than one dengue patient is reported dead.
On Saturday, two dengue patients died in Chattogram and Khulna.
In the last five days since Tuesday, 14 dengue patients have died in different hospitals.
This year, 70,195 dengue patients have so far been admitted to different hospitals, said the DGHS.
Of them, 51,734 patients have been admitted in August alone. At present, 4,860 dengue patients are now being treated at different hospitals.
The Dengue death review committee has reviewed 96 deaths and confirmed that 57 of them died of dengue. Information about 185 deaths has been sent to the IEDCR on suspicion that those may be from dengue.