Terming the rise in dengue patients as alarming, the Principal Government Medical College, Dr Shashi Sudhan on Thursday said that the department is fully prepared to handle the situation.

“The premier Health Institution was fully prepared to cope up with the situation aroused due to the increase in dengue cases,” Dr Sudhan here told reporters at a press conference.
Appealing to the public to follow precautions to save themselves from fever as ‘prevention is better than cure’, Dr Sudhan said, “Dengue is a mosquito-borne seasonal viral disease that has rapidly spread.”“The increase in dengue patients is alarming as around 80-90 children and around 50-60 adults with dengue symptoms are admitted on a daily basis and till now five deaths are reported due to dengue fever,” she said adding that the reason for the deaths was that the patients were admitted late in the hospital.

She further said that the Dengue mosquito is different from that of the Malaria mosquito and it bites during dawn or dusk and prevention is the best way to avoid it.
“To prevent the disease the community has to be aware and responsible,” she said and added that GMC Jammu is fully prepared to cope up with the situation and said that increasing dengue cases are being controlled and all measures are being taken to avoid the spread.

Dr Rajiv Gupta, HoD P&SM said that Dengue is caused by a virus that is mostly transmitted by the bite of female mosquitoes of the species Aedes Aegypti.

He further said that Dengue can have no symptoms or cause only mild illness, but it can also cause flu-like symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, pain behind the eyes, nausea, vomiting, swollen glands, rash, muscle, joint, or bone pains. To be safe from dengue avoid stagnation of water in any container in your surroundings, he further added.
Dr. Sanjeev Digra, Professor Paediatrics said that children and adults are equally prone to dengue fever but in the case of children, more care is needed because they are more exposed to outside surroundings

Dr Fayaz Wani, HoD medicine said that the fever clinic in GMC is going on a daily basis and there is nothing to worry as all the arrangements are made.