Prayagraj to Get 2nd SSH Lab

• 17 May 2024

Why in News?

Prayagraj soon to get its second Sentinel Surveillance Hospital Lab (SSH Lab), a vital facility to diagnose dengue virus.

Key Points

• Currently, the district of Prayagraj only has a SSH lab located at the department of microbiology in Moti Lal Nehru (MLN) Medical College.
  • At a workshop held at MLN College to observe National Dengue Day (16th May 2024), it was discussed that plans are in progress to establish a specialized dengue testing laboratory at Tej Bahadur Sapru hospital, also known as Beli hospital, before the end of 2024.
• The theme of Dengue Day 2024 was to connect with the community and control dengue.

Dengue

• About:
  • Dengue is a mosquito-borne tropical disease caused by the dengue virus (Genus Flavivirus), transmitted by several species of female mosquito within the genus Aedes, principally Aedes aegypti.
    • This mosquito also transmits chikungunya, yellow fever and Zika infection.
  • There are 4 distinct, but closely related, serotypes (separate groups within a species of microorganisms that all share a similar characteristic) of the virus that cause dengue (DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3 and DEN-4).
• Symptoms:
  • Sudden high fever, severe headaches, pain behind the eyes, severe bone, joint, and muscle pain, etc.
• Diagnosis and Treatment:
  • Diagnosis of dengue infection is done with a blood test.
  • There is no specific medicine to treat dengue infection.