As a result of negative resting, such cases are recorded as ‘suspected dengue’ by the Telangana State Public Health department, but no attempt is underway to understand whether a different viral agent is responsible for triggering the rise of such dengue-like infections.

Hyderabad: A peculiar medical mystery is unfolding in Hyderabad. Despite exhibiting classic dengue symptoms like soaring fevers, dropping platelet counts and body aches, countless patients are returning negative for dengue tests. This puzzling trend has left caregivers and doctors in Hyderabad baffled and searching for answers.

As a result of negative resting, such cases are recorded as ‘suspected dengue’ by the Telangana State Public Health department, but no attempt is underway to understand whether a different viral agent is responsible for triggering the rise of such dengue-like infections.

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Till now, neither the Public Health department nor Directorate of Medical Education (DME) have yet launched any concerted attempt at unraveling this mystery. No blood samples of dengue positive patients have been collected for conducting a thorough genomic sequencing in city-based central government genetic laboratories to understand the viral agent, which could possibly be behind the infections.

Frequent negative dengue tests are also causing individuals to assume that they do not carry any kind of viral infection. As a result, a large number of patients are not strictly adhering to the basic medication prescribed by the doctor for their infection, leaving the door open for complications at a later date.

There are two different kinds of dengue diagnostic tests that include NS1 and IgM tests and there is every possibility that sometimes these tests might be negative. According to experts in seasonal ailments, sometimes the timing of conducting the test may go wrong and that could lead to a negative test.

Usually, dengue NS1 antigen can be detected after the third day of infections and IgM antibodies can be detected any 5 to 6 days.

Senior physicians who are familiar with the dengue disease pattern in the two Telugu States caution individuals from ignoring basic medication and rest, which is prescribed by the caregiver.

“Some of the patients utilize rapid tests to undergo dengue tests and that also could be the reason for the large number of negative tests. However, please don’t ignore dengue-like symptoms,” doctors advised.

Important advice from top doctors to dengue patients:

• Avoid NSAIDS like aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, diclofenac etc

• Paracetamol is ideal to reduce fever

• Steroids have no role in treatment of dengue

• Hydrate properly

• Papaya leaf juice does not provide any relief

• Platelet or blood transfusion only if platelets drop less than 15, 000 or 20, 000.

• Dengue tests are NS1 and IgM

• NS1 on day 2 of symptoms and IgM on test on Day 5

• Day 2 means second day of fever

• No use of antibiotics and anti-malarials in treating dengue