June 8, 2011 /By Don Asoka Wijewardena
Over 7,000 dengue patients have been treated since January to June 7. Forty adults and 20 children have died of the disese in that period. As the dengue epidemic has risen to alarming proportion, the Health Ministry called hospital directors of 37 Central government run hospitals and discussed with them the root cause of rising dengue cases.
During the discussion hospital directors were asked whether they were experiencing any problems in combating the rapid increase of dengue. In response they said that most people who had been suffering from fever had self-administered Paracetamol or any kind of analgesic to lower the fever. Only when fever with several symptoms developed they rush to hospitals.
When dengue patients were in a stage of developing hemmoregic fever, they would normally seek medical attention and the treatment process of such patients was very difficult. It was better to seek timely medical attention when one developed fever.
Hospital Directors have been instructed to maintain special dengue ICU units in each hospital and these ICUs would be exclusively allocated for dengue patients who would require special medical attention. The Health Ministry would also take action to expand ICU facilities to provincial council run hospitals shortly.
The Island