Bangalore: Even as various parts of the country are grappling with the rising number of deaths owing to dengue, the disease has claimed seven lives in the State.

According to officials in the Health and Family Welfare Department, 90 cases of dengue were reported from various parts of the State this year. The deaths occurred in Davangere (3), Chitradurga (1), Haveri (1), Gadag (1) and Hassan (1).

But officials maintain that the number of dengue cases this year is fewer than the preceding two years. According to official figures, last year there were 587 dengue cases in the State and 17 deaths owing to the disease, while in 2004 there were 281 reported cases and two deaths. "We have been dealing with dengue for two decades in the State and we have managed to keep it under control," an official from the department told The Hindu .

The highest number of cases this year has been reported from Davangere district, where 30 persons have been affected, followed by Bangalore (city limits), which has reported 20 cases.

Cases have also been reported from Bellary (11), Tumkur (8), Koppal (5), Gulbarga (5), Haveri (3), Gadag (2) districts and one each from Bangalore Urban, Bangalore Rural, Chitradurga, Chamarajanagar and Mandya districts.

Most of the deaths occurred because patients developed viral haemorrhagic fever, where there is bleeding from the nose and gums, and even cerebral haemorrhage. Patients may also have low blood platelet count (the normal platelet count is 1.5 lakh). Some deaths were caused by "Dengue Shock Syndrome," where there is fluid accumulation in the lungs and liver of the patient, the official said.

Symptoms

The disease is spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which breeds in stagnant water. Symptoms include fever, low backache, pain in the calf muscles and, in some cases, nasal bleeding.

In Bangalore, hospitals have been receiving suspected dengue cases, but most of them are of a mild nature.

Doctors at Victoria Hospital said they had come across a few cases in the Outpatient Department, but no one had been admitted with dengue.

"We have been receiving patients with dengue, but there have been only sporadic cases. None of them are of a serious nature. There have been no deaths," Shankar Prasad, medical superintendent of St. Philomena's Hospital, said.

No deaths: Minister

However, Health Minister R. Ashok has claimed that dengue is under control in the State and there have been no deaths.

Speaking to presspersons on the sidelines of a function to celebrate National Voluntary Blood Donation Day here on Tuesday, Mr. Ashok said though there were reports of deaths owing to dengue from some parts of the State, dengue was not the cause of death.

Of the eight blood samples of persons suspected to have dengue, which were sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) at Victoria Hospital here, only two were positive. Another 20 blood samples had been sent to the NIV for testing and the results were awaited, he said.

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