Prayagraj to Get 2nd SSH Lab | 17 May 2024

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

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.

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.