Nagpur: City hospitals are filled with bloody fever patients, and many of them are even asked to wait a day or be accepted in the ICU due to lack of beds.
However, official data does not reflect so many patients.
All patients with symptoms of headaches, joint pain and high-grade fever are rushed to the victim’s ward and emergency public and private hospitals.
Most of them test positively in the NS1 antigen test, which is produced in one hour.
These patients are treated as bleeding producers, and even insurance providers receive NS antigen tests to approve claims.
However, the health department data shows a poor level of progress.
Against more than 10,000 samples of serum NS1 and IgM, only 2,200 were tested positive through Elisa in the Nagpur Division consisting of six districts.
Toi speaks to experts about the big differences in the actual data and scenario.
Dr.
Shailesh Mundada, an expert pathologist and immunology, said the pioneers miscellaneous ns1 antigen tests could not be so high.
“NS1 is less sensitive than Elisa.
If the sample is testing positively on the NS1, it must be the same in Elisa.
Delay in the test and confirmation storage also affects the quality of the sample,” he said.
Dr.
Mundhada also said that unlike Covid, there was no online reporting system for dengue fever.
“Many cases may not be reported too,” he said.
Dr.
Nitin Shinde’s disease specialist said, “Confirmation by ELISA is not at all necessary and harms the public health approach.
It is like denying the existence of a problem.
NS1 with card tests have good sensitivity and specificity.
In fact, we lose many negative patients on the test But actually bleed.
They have all the clinical and radiological symptoms of dengue fever.
They come negative because of the low level viremia.
So, the total number of cases is actually more than a positive NS1 case.
“Assistant Director of Health Services (Malaria) Dr.
Shyam Nimgade admitted that there was a delay In the confirmation test because it is not availability from the kit.
“But we ensure the results come in a week.
The sample quality cannot be affected because we do not collect all the blood,” he said.
Dr.
Nimgade said that every fever was not dengue and Elisa remained the first choice.
“NS1 antigens are screening tests.
I agree there are many dengue fever patients.
The diseases transmitted through vectors have a trend of cycles and they increase after every 3 or 4 years,” he said.