E-Paper
Cases of fever of unknown origin doubled in 2021 in Pune
The number of acute respiratory illnesses and influenza-like illnesses also went up from 53,000 to 72,000
PUNE The civic body reported 28,605 cases of fever of unknown origin in the city in 2021 while this number stood at about 10,627 in 2020. As more outpatient departments (OPDs) and clinics were set up to test for Covid-19 symptoms including fever, more people reported fever of unknown origin. According to experts, it is important to record such fever to ensure that there are no other outbreaks in the city. The number of acute respiratory illnesses and influenza-like illnesses also went up from 53,000 to 72,000.
Dr Sanjeeev Wavare, assistant health officer, said, “It is important to diagnose cases of fever of unknown origin as it helps to identify if the fever is viral or bacterial. A fever of unknown origin could mean it could be because of typhoid, malaria or any other infections which have fever as a symptom. Even though they may have tested further to understand the exact cause of the fever, it is recorded as an unknown cause. Epidemiologically, it is important to know this because then it gives us an idea as to how widespread the fever of unknown origin is and whether it is viral or bacterial so that the required measures can be put in place. Also, if the source remains completely unidentified then we can inform the higher authorities regarding this so that restrictive measures can be put in place. However, for a population of over 50 lakh in Pune city, 20,000 is not an alarming number.”
As per the PMC health department, the number of cases reported as fever of unknown origin rose from 10,627 in 2020 to 28,605 in 2021. With more clinics set up to detect Covid-19 cases, the city also saw a drastic rise in acute respiratory syndrome cases from 53,000 in 2020 to 72,000 in 2021. Reported cases of pneumonia also saw a rise with 376 cases reported in 2020 that went up to 510 in 2021. Dr Wavare said that when a specific virus is widespread in the community, it is very likely that all other viruses with similar symptoms may also become active, leading to more people reporting diseases with similar symptoms.
