By Rathindra Kuruwita

Dengue is on the rise among the women of reproductive age and pregnant women must be extra cautious if they contract the disease, Senior Consultant Physician at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases Dr. Ananda Wijewickrama says.

He told a webinar, Changing global landscape of dengue disease and addressing the challenges by Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi), that anyone who developed symptoms of dengue must seek treatment immediately to avoid complications.

“In the late 1980s we considered dengue as a paediatric disease. Even in 2000, about 60 percent of dengue cases were those under 19. However, now we see that most patients are those in the reproductive age. So, we see a lot of pregnant women getting dengue. The same situation prevails in India, Singapore, Bangladesh and Thailand,” he said.

“Dengue increases the risk of maternal fatality, stillbirth and neonatal deaths,” he said.

Dr. Wijewickrama said that several companies were working on dengue vaccines and that an effective vaccine is welcome.

“In the past, dengue vaccines have not worked out well. However, there are some new ones being developed. A vaccine produced by Japanese company Takeda is under evaluation,” he noted.

However, prevention matters and pregnant women are at higher risk of complications. “There are two lives at stake,” he said.

Dr. Wijewickrama said that influenza too is spreading in Sri Lanka and if a pregnant woman has fever they need to seek medical advice as soon as possible.

“Do this on day one itself. See if there are any complications if you have fever. Test for dengue. If you seek medical help early, you have no reason to worry. Unfortunately, some still come late with severe complications. It is harder to save patients with dengue shock. However, we have become really good at curing dengue. So people really must not hesitate to seek medical advice as early as possible,” he said.

Meanwhile, Rakesh Lodha, Professor of Pediatrics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, speaking at the webinar said that measures need to be taken at individual, community and national levels to ensure that dengue can be kept under control. It has to be a partnership, he said.

Professor Lodha also urged people not to try alternative, untested medicines to combat dengue.