Spurt in Covid and dengue cases causes alarm

Nellore: While Covid and dengue cases are increasing, cases of scrubtyphus too are being detected in Nellore district, causing worry among doctors. Any error in diagnosing scrubtyphus can land a patient in ICU with serious respiratory issues.
Locally called as (Kodimullu), symptoms of scrubtyphus include fever and lesions which mostly appear in concealed parts of the body, such as thighs, chest, axilla and abdomen. The lesion looks like an ulcer with black Escher on the skin.

People ignore this most of the time, as it appears like a healed wound well before fever. Doctors need to conduct a thorough physical examination to locate the lesion to diagnose scrubtyphus.

“Victims can be treated as outpatients with simple medication like doxycycline and azithromycin if scrubtyphus is detected in an early stage. But they will land in ICU with serious respiratory problems if diagnosis is delayed. Awareness of the disease, particularly among rural doctors and patients, can protect people from scrubtyphus,” observed senior physician Dr. C.V. Subhramanyam.

He pointed out that demand for platelets is currently high as hospitals are reporting many admissions due to Covid and dengue. Either Random Donor Platelets (RDPs) or Single Donor Platelets (SDPs) are being provided to patients with low platelet count. RDP costs around ₹ 400–500 per unit. SDP is being sold for ₹ 11,000–14,000. But because demand for platelets is high, people are being forced to buy SDPs, as RDPs are running short.

Dr. Subhramanyam attributed rise in dengue cases to breeding of mosquitoes due to water-logging in many places following recent heavy rains and floods, apart from lack of fogging operations. “It will be tricky if serious cases of Covid, dengue and scrubtyphus shoot up at the same time, demanding hospitalisation,” he added.