Bengaluru's hospitals flooded with viral fever cases

The hospitals in the city are flooded with cases of viral fever with dengue-like symptoms. According to the doctors, the hospitals are running short of beds and rooms as they are filled with patients who have been admitted due to new viral fever cases.

“We are seeing new viral cases every day. Many hospitals across the city are filled with patients, some of them even admitted in the ICU,” said Dr Sudarshan Ballal, chairman, Manipal Hospital.

Dr Sudha Menon, internal medicine, Fortis Hospital, said that we see at least 10 patients with viral fever each day. They even have symptoms of dengue.Doctors, however, said that they have to wait for the government to confirm whether the new viral fever is dengue.

While commenting on the precautionary measures taken by BBMP, Dr Naveen Kumar, Nodal Officer, National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP), said that chemicals like penephom and pyrethrum are being sprayed around households as well as school premises in the morning to prevent mosquito breeding.

Dr Prakash Kumar, deputy director of NVBDCP, and state programme manager of National Health Mission, said that more urban healthcare centres (UHC) and primary health centres (PHC) are being set up in the city in addition to the existing ones. He added that urban ASHA workers are also deployed in BBMP area to educate people.  There is better coordination between the health department and BBMP.

Doctors suggest wearing clothes that cover the body completely and to stay away from the places where mosquito breeding is high. Meanwhile, Health Minister K R Ramesh Kumar on Thursday said he has directed the department officials to take measures to control dengue and epidemic diseases in the state.