Fresh dengue deaths in Bhopal punch holes in health dept claims

Death of a 20-year-old boy due to dengue has set the alarm bells ringing for the health department officials. The officials had been patting their back for controlling the menace in the worst-affected areas.

Death of a 20-year-old boy at Hamidia Hospital due to dengue has set the alarm bells ringing for the health department officials once again. The officials had been patting their back of late for controlling the menace in the worst-affected Kolar area and Arera Colony.

A health department spokesperson had told HT a couple of days ago that the dengue menace was coming under control as only 1-2 suspected patients of dengue were reporting at the hospitals in the entire city.

He also referred to intensive campaign of the health officials in Kolar, where people in 5,000 houses were contacted on Thursday to create awareness on dengue. However, on Friday and Saturday, the city witnessed two more dengue deaths. While a 75-year-old man died on Friday, the 20-year-old youth, Deepak, took his last breath on Saturday.

Deepak had tested positive for dengue through rapid kit test at a private nursing home. The patient also underwent treatment at JP Hospital but he had been referred to Hamidia Hospital. However, in a clear case of callousness, ELISA test was not conducted on him to confirm dengue after his death.

Deaths of young dengue patients like Deepak and 23-year-old Divya have raised question mark over the tall claims of health department in controlling the lethal disease. Number of dengue cases reported in the city during this season has reached 406 in Bhopal.