New Delhi: The dengue outbreak in India could be 282 times higher than officially figure, says medical journal The Lacent.
India's health ministry has reported nearly 21 000 dengue cases for the country up to the second week of September, 2015, which is more than twice that reported for the same period in 2014.
“India's poor surveillance network possibly leads to huge under-reporting of cases—one study estimates that dengue could be 282 times higher than officially reported” says the report.
Delhi alone has witnessed over 3,000 cases of deadly disease, which has so far consumed over 23 deaths, largely senior citizens and children. However, the unofficial figure puts the toll at over 60 in the capital with All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) alone reporting five deaths.
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The situation has put the health system under the tight spot as nation of 1.3 billion people is facing its worst dengue outbreak in the last 5 years.
At present, India's national media abounds with stories and images of state hospitals overrun with patients, sharing beds, and private hospitals refusing to provide care. The government's response has been to order more beds in state-run hospitals, limiting charges to patients for care, cancelling doctors' leave, and penalising private hospitals that turn away patients.
Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain visits hospitals to check dengue arrangements
“Successive governments have promised health reform but at the same time have curtailed funding for many health ministry programmes. Despite some gains in health care, India only spends 1 to 2% of its gross domestic product (GDP) on health, which is among the lowest in the world” observed the medical journal.
