Date:05/07/2003 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2003/07/05/stories/2003070508550300.htm

Southern States - Kerala-Thiruvananthapuram

Youth dies of suspected dengue fever in MCH

By Our Staff Reporter

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM July 4. A 30-year-old youth hailing from Kattakkada died due to viral fever complications at the Medical College here today.

According to hospital sources, the youth, Aji Kumar, had been admitted to the hospital on Thursday and died this morning due to gastrointestinal bleeding brought on by a suspected dengue attack.

Though the death has not been serologically confirmed as being due to dengue fever, the nature of death had a striking resemblance to a dengue-triggered fatality, hospital sources said.

Meanwhile, seven new cases of confirmed dengue were reported today with at least four of them from the Corporation area. Four of the patients, all children, were admitted to the SAT Hospital, two to the General Hospital and one to a private hospital.

The dengue cases were reported from Karamana, Pattoor, Karakkamandapam, Poonthura, Pangappara, Kachani and Kallara. One case of malaria has also been confirmed in a 26-year-old youth from the Thonnackal Primary Health Centre.

According to the District Medical Officer, the highest number of concentration of dengue positive cases has been in the Corporation area, with 56 cases being reported from various wards in the city.

The number of total confirmed dengue cases for the entire district currently stands at 175. Children have borne the brunt of the mosquito-transmitted infection with an estimated 126 children being treated at the SAT Hospital alone.

The health squads of the City Corporation today conducted medical camps in the Sasthamangalam and Kanjirampara wards and undertook house-to-house visits to spread awareness on preventing infectious diseases.

Meanwhile, the CPI(M) district secretary, M. Vijayakumar, has alleged that the Government was slack in launching preventive measures to check the spread of infectious diseases in spite of diseases like dengue and leptospirosis taking a heavy toll of children and adults across the State.

The CPI(M) leader said that shortage of staff and medicines persisted at Government hospitals. The party would stage a dharna involving representatives of the Corporation, municipality, district panchayat, block and grama panchayats, in front of the University college from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday in protest against the allegedly lax response of the Government to the serious situation, the statement said.