“Silent Threat: Mosquitoes on the Rise Amidst Hyderabad’s Dengue Surge”
Hyderabad: The city of Hyderabad is currently facing a severe health crisis as the number of dengue and viral fever cases has surged dramatically over the past few weeks.
A steady influx of patients with symptoms typical of viral fevers and dengue has been recorded across private nursing homes, clinics, and major government hospitals, including Fever Hospital, Gandhi Hospital, and Osmania General Hospital (OGH). The outpatient departments (OPDs) of these hospitals are seeing an overwhelming number of patients, with Gandhi Hospital and OGH each managing between 1,500 and 2,000 patient visits per day. The Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) is also reporting nearly 650 daily OPD visits.
Fever Hospital has witnessed a sharp increase in patient visits, with OPD numbers rising from an average of 600 to 850 patients per day in the past few weeks. This spike is attributed to the growing number of dengue and viral fever cases in the region.
Recent data highlights the severity of the situation: between June and August, Telangana reported a total of 4,395 confirmed dengue cases, with 85% to 90% of these cases coming from Hyderabad alone. In August, Hyderabad reported 1,751 dengue cases, while the neighboring districts of Rangareddy and Medchal-Malkajgiri recorded 310 and 399 cases, respectively. Alarmingly, at least five deaths have been linked to dengue.
With more rainfall expected, Dr. B Ravinder Naik, Director of Public Health, issued a public warning on Wednesday, urging residents to take preventive measures seriously to curb the spread of the disease.
Former Health Minister T Harish Rao criticized the State government on social media platform X, pointing out that they had warned of such a crisis a month ago. He emphasized the need for the timely release of funds to conduct preventive measures across all districts, stressing that the impact of seasonal diseases can only be minimized by taking proactive steps before the monsoon season begins.
Dengue Cases in 2024:
- January-April: 678 cases
- May: 113 cases
- June: 1,078 cases
- July: 1,461 cases
- August: 1,856 cases
