Delayed hospital admission complicating dengue treatment, doctor warns

Dengue patients are arriving at hospitals only after developing serious complications, making treatment more difficult and placing further pressure on overcrowded wards, consultant physician Dr Ananda Wijewickrama warned.

Wijewickrama said many patients assumed they were recovering when their fever subsided after four or five days.

However, the fall in temperature could coincide with the critical phase of dengue, when complications such as plasma leakage, shock and internal bleeding may develop.

He said some patients remained at home even after doctors advised them to repeat blood tests or seek hospital treatment.

By the time they arrived at hospital, their condition had sometimes deteriorated significantly, he said.

Wijewickrama warned that doctors might have limited options when patients arrived after prolonged shock or other severe complications.

He urged people with fever to seek medical advice, undergo a full blood count after about two days and repeat the test when instructed.

A reduction in fever did not necessarily mean the illness had passed, he said.

Wijewickrama also said hospitals, particularly in the Western Province, were struggling to cope with the growing number of dengue patients.

He said safe dengue treatment required frequent monitoring of blood pressure, pulse, blood-test results and other warning signs.

As patient numbers increased, medical staff found it increasingly difficult to observe each patient closely and identify complications early.

Some hospitals were treating more than one patient in spaces intended for a single bed, while private hospitals had at times been unable to accept new admissions because their rooms were full, he said.

Wijewickrama said government hospitals continued to admit patients, but overcrowding made effective treatment more difficult and also reduced the resources available for people suffering from other illnesses.

He urged the public not to delay treatment because of reports that hospitals were crowded.

Early medical assessment and timely admission remained essential to preventing deaths, he said.