Dengue Outbreak In Lucknow, 2100 Cases Reported in 2024: Here’s How To Prevent It

The capital of Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow, is in the midst of a massive public health issue, that is a Dengue Outbreak. Nearly 2,100 cases had been reported till 2024, that is much higher than what was reported in these previous years.

In October’s singke week, more than 400 cases were reported, with not even a single day of the month passing without detection. Every day new cases of dengue has emerged.

What’s the Experts saying?

They are associating the outbreak with shifting climate patterns as a result of global warming and fast urbanization. Temperatures and sudden climatic conditions with intense showers are proved to favor breeding for the Aedes aegypti mosquito, through which the virus spreads.

The recent climatic abnormality has also contributed to the outbreak, like when many Indian territories recorded the average lowest nighttime temperature since 1901 in October 2024.

• Blood Platelets: Lucknow platelet demand has gone up from 200 units to more than 400 units over the week.
• Bed Occupancy: 36 dengue-specific beds almost full at Balrampur Hospital; the trend is more or less similar in all other hospitals.

Despite these, Chief Medical Officer Manoj Agarwal said that hospitals have sufficient numbers of beds and platelets. However, health workers warn that the severity of the cases calls for stronger response mechanisms.

The government has upgraded prevention measures, including:

• Increasing the number of dengue testing centers in Lucknow from 83 in 2023 to 135 in 2024.
• Conducting awareness campaigns and mosquito control activities, such as fogging and distribution of mosquito nets.

What are the symptoms?

To prevent it, being aware of the symptoms and detecting the illness of time is the biggest prevention strategy in place. Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection that can cause a wide range of symptoms, which typically appear 4-10 days after being bitten by an infected mosquito. The symptoms can vary in severity but commonly include:

Common Symptoms

• High Fever: Sudden onset of high fever (up to 104°F or 40°C).
• Severe Headache: Often localized behind the eyes.
• Joint and Muscle Pain: Sometimes called “breakbone fever” due to the intensity of the pain.
• Fatigue: Extreme tiredness and weakness.
• Skin Rash: Red spots or rash that can appear a few days after the fever begins.
• Nausea and Vomiting: Accompanied by loss of appetite.
• Pain Behind the Eyes: Retro-orbital pain is common.

Severe Dengue (Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever)

In some cases, dengue progresses to a severe form that requires immediate medical attention. Symptoms include:

• Bleedind from gums, nose, or under the skin (bruising).
• Severe Abdominal Pain: Along with persistent vomiting.
• Fluid Accumulation: Leading to swollen abdomen or difficulty breathing.
• Plasma Leakage: Causes a drop in blood pressure (shock).
• Organ Damage: Can lead to complications in the liver, heart, or other organs.

How To Prevent?

• Firstly, use any mosquito repellents if indoors.
• When outdoors, wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants tucked into socks, and also apply mosquito repellent creams.
• Avoid shady and wet areas.
• If indoors, then use air conditioning where available.
• The window and door screens must be secure with no holes in them. Where sleeping areas are neither screened nor air-conditioned,
• mosquitos nets should be used while sleeping.
• lastly it’s better to consult a doctor, If you experience extreme symptoms of dengue.

The growth spurt in Lucknow is part of a countrywide trend across a global increase. The nation reported nearly 290,000 cases of dengue fever in 2023 versus 157,000 in 2019.

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