Killer dengue strain's mystery solved! D2 strain caused maximum deaths in UP

"Deaths in Mathura, Agra and Firozabad are due to dengue fever caused by D2 strain, which can cause haemorrhaging that could be fatal," ICMR DG Dr Balram Bhargava said.

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New Delhi: The majority of deaths in Mathura, Agra and Firozabad districts of Uttar Pradesh were due to dengue fever caused by D2 strain and it can cause haemorrhaging that could be fatal, ICMR Director-General Dr Balram Bhargava said on Thursday.

"Deaths in Mathura, Agra and Firozabad are due to dengue fever caused by D2 strain, which can cause haemorrhaging that could be fatal," Dr Bhargava said at a press briefing on the COVID-19 situation here. 

Dr V K Paul, Member (Health), Niti Aayog urged people to take protective measures against vector-borne diseases and noted that dengue can lead to complications and death. "Protect yourself from vector-borne diseases by using mosquito nets, mosquito repellents, covering yourself to avoid mosquito bites, because dengue can lead to death. We don`t have even a vaccine for dengue, so it`s important to take dengue as a serious disease it leads to complications, Malaria also has ill effects. We have to fight against the disease," Dr Paul said. 

According to experts, dengue virus serotype 2 (DENV-2 or D2) is known to be the most virulent strain and can cause severity in disease. Recently a central team visited Firozabad district and observed that the majority of cases are due to dengue, while a few are because of scrub typhus and leptospirosis. Vector Indices were found to be high with House Index and Container Index, both above 50 per cent. The National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has deputed two EIS (Epidemic Intelligence Service) officers in the district for the next 14 days and they will assist the administration in strengthening its outbreak response.