What ailed Namma health this year?

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Karnataka in general and Bengaluru in particular faced a variety of health challenges in 2023 and communicable diseases were at the top of the list of concerns.

Dengue tops viral menaces

On July 19, the Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) registered 2,966 visits to the outpatient departments (OPDs), with about 62 per cent of them being attributed to dengue.

The Commissioner of Health and Family Welfare Services D Randeep said that by October 20, 11,576 cases of dengue had been recorded in the state.

Dengue is a viral disease spread by bites from mosquitoes of the aedes genus.

Symptoms include high fever, headache and rashes. In extreme cases, it leads to decrease in platelet count and a drop in blood pressure, otherwise known as dengue shock syndrome.

Dengue can be prevented by clearing breeding spots for mosquitoes, mainly stagnant water.

Swine flu among respiratory illnesses

Cases of Swine Flu, otherwise known as the H1N1 were recorded in the city.

Given the contagious nature of the virus, it had caused some concern. Moreover, adding to the worries were other respiratory ailments caused by viruses like adenovirus, rhinovirus, and influenza.

These were active at the same time as the Swine Flu. Moreover, 10 per cent to 15 per cent of children suffering from respiratory diseases caused by viral infections also experienced pneumonia, adding to the health challenges faced by the city.

Covid makes comeback

Although virologists have said Covid has become endemic to India, a new Omicron sub-variant JN1 is spreading in K'taka.