No kidding: Dengue stings immunity layer

HYDERABAD: In a worrying trend, children in the age group of 5-15 are increasingly falling prey to

dengue

, doctors said on Sunday .

At least 50-60% of dengue cases in the city are being reported in this age-group alone, experts said. Even dengue tests by an NGO, which has been conducting free tests for a few government area hospitals, confirm such high numbers of young patients.

Children are largely unaware on how to avoid exposure to Aedes mosquitoes that spread dengue. Their underdeveloped immunity system too adds to the problem.

“Children are more exposed to mosquito breeding sites when compared to adults and it makes them highly vulnerable. They play and run around trees, bushes, stagnant water and playgrounds a around their homes and schools, unaware that these ` areas should be avoided to prevent dengue,“ said Dr C r Madhavi, paediatrician at Care Hospitals in Musheerabad. t Moreover, with the severid ty of dengue cases being much higher than earlier yed ars, a rare reaction of immune system post-dengue called `hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis' (

HLH

) is on the rise, warned health experts.The rare reaction affects multiple organs and is life threatening in children, say doctors.

“While recovery from dengue is usually very slow in kids, post-dengue too severe reactions like HLH are being seen in many children. In case of HLH reaction, which affects multiple organs in the body , recovery varies from child to child,“ she said.

Stressing that dengue has become common in kids, experts alerted that parents need to take extra precaution as the recovery from dengue is very slow in kids.

“The fact that children in the age-group have underdeveloped immunity might also be contributing to the numbers. Although we are seeing dengue patients in all agegroups, many more young patients are being affected as compared to elderly people or pregnant women. Very young, very old as well as pregnant women fall in the high risk group due to reduced immunity ,“ explained Dr Hari Kishan, consultant general physician, Apollo Hospitals, Hyderguda. So far, dengue cases in the state have crossed 1,700 this year, with a dozen people already dying.