Delhi Death Toll Due to Dengue Rises to 24

Two more people died of dengue fever, taking the death toll in the capital to 24, while 92 new cases were admitted to city hospitals as health officials launched a war against the mosquito-borne disease.

With the fresh dengue cases, the total number of patients in Delhi rose Friday to 1,278, officials said.

"We have received 92 new patients since Thursday. Though no new measures have been announced and all the efforts taken earlier are in place, the two fresh deaths is worrisome," said D.S. Negi, Delhi's health secretary.

Both the deaths took place at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) - Sunita Devi, 70, of Ballabgarh in Haryana died Thursday while Uma Devi, 40, a resident of Ghaziabad, died around 5.30 a.m. Friday.

"Both of them were admitted to the hospital Wednesday in a serious condition," said D.K. Sharma, the hospital's medical superintendent.

The number of patients in AIIMS has risen with 44 new cases being admitted since Thursday even as 42 patients were discharged.

"There are now 160 patients in the hospital and new patients continue to come every day," said Sharma.

The dengue virus has many areas across the country in its grip too, as the deaths rose to 86 with the two new deaths in Delhi. The number of people affected countrywide is 4,345, with Delhi the worst hit.

Among the states Kerala has 794 patients, Gujarat 424, Rajasthan 328, West Bengal 314, Tamil Nadu 306, Uttar Pradesh 282, Maharashtra 240, Punjab 201, Haryana 100, Karnataka 60 and Andhra Pradesh 18.

Of the total cases coming to Delhi from nearby areas, Haryana tops the list with Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan following.

Apart from struggling to control dengue, health officials are trying to tame another mosquito-borne virus - chikungunya - with 1.3 million suspected cases and 1,602 confirmed cases in the country.

Delhi has 21 confirmed chikungunya cases, Maharashtra - 679, followed by Karnataka (294), Andhra Pradesh (248), Gujarat (145), Madhya Pradesh (62), Kerala (38), Pondicherry (4) and Tamil Nadu (1), according to a central health ministry statement.

Source-IANS
SRM