Patiala doctor dies of suspected dengue; health dept to perform confirmatory test

As per the state health department officials, the state has reported 6,708 dengue cases so far. Of all districts, with 825 cases, Hoshiarpur is the worst hit

Amid rising dengue cases in the state, a government doctor (42) reportedly died of dengue in Patiala on Sunday.

With moderate rains forecasted by the weather department during the next 36 hours in the state, experts said dengue cases are likely to rise in the coming months.

The doctor, Summi Bhuttani, allegedly succumbed to the disease here on Sunday morning at a private hospital. She was admitted to the hospital on Saturday evening following moderate fever over the past few days. Though initial reports of the Patiala health department suggested that she died of dengue, a confirmatory test will be performed by the authorities.

Health officials said despite having fever, the doctor, who had co-morbidities, worked for a few hours on Saturday too.

As per the state health department officials, the state has reported 6,708 dengue cases so far. Of all districts, with 825 cases, Hoshiarpur is the worst hit. So far, Mohali has seen 665 cases, Kapurthala 600 cases and similar is the trend in Patiala, Bathinda and Amritsar.

With moderate rains forecasted by the weather department during the next 36 hours in the state, experts said dengue cases are likely to rise in the coming months. The health department said there was lack of community participation as residents were not allowing their teams to check dengue breeding fearing challans.

“People see us through CCTV cameras, and don’t open the gates for teams to check any stagnant water sites,” said Dr Sumeet Singh, a nodal officer.

Meanwhile, Punjab health department director Dr Adarshpal Kaur said cases are likely to rise and efforts are being made to curb the spread of dengue.