Fresh cases of dengue: Disease may have been contracted last year

With two people, including a doctor, testing positive for dengue, the Capital reported the season’s first cases of the vector-borne disease. However, the MCD suspects that the two may have contracted the disease last season.

With two people, including a doctor, testing positive for dengue, the Capital reported the season’s first cases of the vector-borne disease. However, the MCD suspects that the two may have contracted the disease last season.

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“Though two confirmed dengue cases have been reported from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) AIIMS, there are chances they might be old,” said Dr VK Monga, chairperson, public health committee, Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).

“A person can test positive for dengue even two months after suffering from the disease. In a day or two it will be clear,” he added. The laboratory reports of these two people, who were admitted at AIIMS last week, tested positive on Tuesday. The hospital reported the cases to MCD, as is the procedure, on Wednesday. The civic agency, however, is yet to notify these cases as the season’s first dengue cases in Delhi.

“Dengue serology can be positive even up to three months, but one has to see it in clinical terms. If the person is asymptomatic and tests positive, it could mean an old contraction. However, if the person has all dengue-like symptoms and is showing positive in the test then it could be dengue,” said Dr Sandeep Budhiraja, HoD, internal medicine, Max Hospital.