title: Private sector hospital response to the 2003 dengue outbreak in the Indian capital metropolis of Delhi.
abstract: During 2003, the Indian capital metropolis of Delhi was afflicted with an outbreak of dengue. A private-sector tertiary care hospital responded instantly to the sudden influx of 162 patients during an 8-week interval. That was an unusual challenge because, until 1997, the hospital had exclusively managed patients with ophthalmic disorders. Dengue patients received fiscal concessions and several free services. A multidisciplinary cell was commissioned for case management. Apart from a diagnosis of patients with dengue and their clinical management, suspected or confirmed dengue episodes were instantly reported to health authorities. Anti-mosquito measures in the hospital premises including residential areas for the nursing personnel prevented any local virus transmission. The integrated therapeutic and public health response was associated with a 1.23% case fatality rate. The protocol developed during the dengue outbreak would address every locally reportable disease in the future.
authors.affiliation: Sant Parmanand Hospital, 18 Alipore Road, Delhi 110-054, India. subhashji@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Subhash C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Arya
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rajagopal
authors.forename: Nirmala
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Agarwal
authors.forename: Mridul
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kaushik
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Maheshwari
authors.forename: Shekhar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Agarwal
authors.forename: Kamini
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: Seema
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: George
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D003715:Dengue / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D016304:Hospitals, Private / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D007223:Infant; D017053:Infection Control / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009032:Mosquito Control; D011247:Pregnancy; D011634:Public Health / Q000379:methods