Satara man dies of swine flu-dengue co-infection

PUNE: A day after the civic health officials confirmed the death of a Pune resident due to swine flu-dengue co-infection, another 40-year-old man who hailed from Satara also succumbed to the viral co-infection at a hospital here on Tuesday.
The man had no other underlying medical condition other than swine flu-dengue.
In the prevailing scenario when viral diseases, especially swine flu and dengue, are co-circulating, doctors need to rule out presence of both, experts said.
Symptoms of typical uncomplicated (classic) dengue usually start with fever within 4 to 7 days of the infected mosquito’s bite. A typical patient of dengue and flu-like high fever complains of extreme muscular and joint pain.
Family physician Avinash Bhondwe said, “The most common reason to seek medical advice is fever. Though most people are detected with seasonal viral fever, dengue cases are not uncommon. Despite this, the situation is not at all scary. People often get confused whether it is a serious illness like dengue or just seasonal fever. Whatever may be the case, it can be handled after taking certain measures.”
Fever in flu subsides within 72 hours of starting treatment. If it does not, treating doctors should investigate for dengue and other viral illnesses
Purandare said, “If doctors see unrelenting fever coupled with drop in the platelet count, they should always look for dengue or other viral illness as a possible causative factor. Symptoms of viral diseases are overlapping, hence proper clinical evaluation, precise investigation and appropriate treatment are crucial.”