At present, patients affected with viral fever and dengue comprise nearly 50 per cent of the people seeking admission to the hospitals, Head of the Department of Medicine of the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) Prof AKM Rafique Uddin told The Daily Star.

Prof Rafique, however, said that the situation is not that worse and held the commoners' fear of dengue responsible for the rush in the hospitals.

"As the diagnostic tools to differentiate the patients according to dengue types have been improved and the doctors are well-trained, the disease is being managed wonderfully," he added.

Prof FM Siddiqui of the same department said that the number of dengue-affected patients admitted to the DMCH has been doubled compared to that of the last week.

"Nearly 70 per cent of the patients with viral fever have been diagnosed with dengue," he said adding that the rest are patients suffering from respiratory viral infection with cold and enteric viral fever with diarrhoea.

As the people have become more aware of dengue and its treatment, most dengue patients come to hospitals in the primary stage of the disease, Prof Siddiqui said adding that they are being cured quite easily and not requiring blood transfusion.

It has been found that the private clinics have been facing the influx of dengue patients more than the public hospitals.

The symptoms of dengue are severe headache, pain in shoulders, eyes and back and nausea.

On Saturday, 20 new patients were admitted to city's Shomorita, Central Hospital, Padma General Hospital, Holy Family Red Crescent Hospital, Suhrawardi Hospital and Dhaka Shishu Hospital.

At the Mitford Hospital on Saturday, around 100 patients with viral fever came but there were no dengue-affected patients, while 12 dengue-infected people were found at the DMCH in seven wards.

Nur Alam Lavlu, 18, a student of Narayanganj Technical College from Postogola said he caught the fever12 days ago.

"I was afraid as blood was coming up along with vomiting. I got admitted to the DMCH a week ago, where the doctors diagnosed me with dengue," he said.

Mohammad Choyon Uddin, 35, a banana wholesaler, has been undergoing treatment for dengue for the past week at the DMCH.

"I came from Naogaon with a truck of banana a week ago. While staying at Gabtoli, I slept on the pile of banana the whole day. When I reached Tejgaon, I felt feverish and did not know when I fell unconscious," he said. With vomiting and bleeding with stool, he was admitted to the DMCH.

Around 90 per cent viral fever patients are prescribed three litres of water every day, adequate rest and paracetamol tablets if necessary and are sent back home, the doctors said.

Meanwhile, the patients admitted to the DMCH are provided with glucose saline, as their condition is slightly worse.

Those who are affected with dengue for a second time are slightly in danger compared to the first time affected ones, the doctors said.

They further suggested not to take any medicine except Paracetamol with the permission of the doctors and to test the blood to be confirmed of dengue, if the fever continues for more than five days.

The doctors also stressed the need for precautions such as using curtain while sleeping, cleaning the house and outside and specially not let the containers to hold clear water, which is the breeding ground for Aedes mosquito responsible for transmitting dengue virus.

Meanwhile, the Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) officials have started collecting information on dengue patients at different hospitals.