Second dengue attack may be fatal.

LAHORE -- The General Cadre Doctors Association (GCDA) has warned that the second or subsequent dengue attack may put the patients at greater risk of severe dengue, including dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) or dengue shock syndrome.

Addressing a seminar here on Sunday, GCDA president Dr Masood Sheikh shed light on preventing dengue-related deaths in Punjab.

Mr Sheikh said that a human's recovery from infection by one dengue virus provides lifelong immunity against that particular virus serotype.

However, he said, this immunity confers only partial and transient protection (up to two to three months) against subsequent infection by the other three serotypes of the virus.

The secondary infections put people at a greater risk of severe dengue leading to hospital admissions, something called 'antibody-dependent enhancement,' Dr Sheikh said.

'This condition occurs when the immune response makes the clinical symptoms of dengue worse, increasing the risk of severe dengue. Consequently, some patients developed DHF after the initial fever declines - a more severe form of the illness that can cause organ damage, severe bleeding, dehydration and even death.

The GCDA president said that certain chronic diseases, including asthma, sickle cell anaemia, and diabetes mellitus can increase a person's risk of developing...