KOLKATA: A temperature drop induced by unseasonal snowfall in Kashmir may not make dengue cases, which have dwindled in number but got more complicated over the last fortnight, slide immediately, say experts. While the city’s minimum temperature has fallen to 19.1 degrees Celsius and is likely to persist at that mark till Monday, the drop is too marginal to wipe out the virus or to lessen the complications, it was pointed out. While around 19 have so far succumbed to dengue in the city, scores remain affected in multiple pockets of Kolkata.While dengue symptoms have been muted but very severe this time, they are turning even more virulent at the fag end of the outbreak. “While so far the symptoms have been mild and treacherous, they are now getting more complicated. Over the last 10 days, there have been several cases of severe haemorrhage coupled with ascites (collection of fluid in abdomen), platelet drop, diarrhoea and accumulation of water in the lungs. This has been turning very dangerous for the elderly and children,” said Fortis Hospital internal medicine consultant Joydeep Ghosh.The symptom pattern has been broken yet again, said Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals consultant Shyamasish Banerjee. “Symptoms are getting virulent once more. So far, low fever and body ache were predominant symptoms. Over the last fortnight, they have again reverted back to platelet drop, haemorrhage and diarrhoea. Fortunately, number of affected has dipped,” said Banerjee.The marginal drop in mercury could help check the outbreak but there may not be any immediate impact, felt virologist Amitabha Nandy. “If the mercury drops below 17 degrees for a consistent period, the virus should die down. Since rains have stopped, breeding grounds should start vanishing. But the lowering of temperature is also important and it hasn’t yet dropped significantly. But the marginal drop, too, will make a difference, though it may not help to wipe out the virus” said Nandy, director of the Centre for Tropical Medicine and Parasitology.A minimum temperature of 12-13 degrees ensured that the virus died out, said Banerjee. More pronounced symptoms, though, were better than muted ones that result in casualties, said AMRI Hospitals consultant Debashish Saha.

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