Haryana resident could be Delhi’s first dengue death this year

Officials familiar with the case said the man tested positive for dengue on September 25, and was being treated at a nursing home in Delhi before he was shifted to BLK-Max Super Speciality Hospital on September 29 after his condition worsened

In what is possibly the first dengue death in Delhi this year, a 39-year-old man died of the viral infection at a private hospital in the Capital on September 30, people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.

A senior municipal official said that they were not aware of the specific case from BLK hospital and all cases related to dengue death are taken up by an audit committee. (Representative image)

However, it is unlikely that the death will be added to Delhi’s tally as the man was a resident of Haryana, officials said.

Officials familiar with the case said the man tested positive for dengue on September 25, and was being treated at a nursing home in Delhi before he was shifted to BLK-Max Super Speciality Hospital on September 29 after his condition worsened. He died of dengue related complications on September 30.

“The man was first treated at a local hospital. He died on September 30. He was a resident of Sonepat in Haryana and so his death is not part of Delhi’s tally,” an official said, asking not to be named.

A senior municipal official said that they were not aware of the specific case from BLK hospital and all cases related to dengue death are taken up by an audit committee.

“If such a case of death has appeared, we will be taking it up in coming days. The committee analyses cases of suspected dengue deaths, be it that of a resident or a person visiting from outside the state,” the official said, asking not to be named.

“The committee also looks at other aspects such as co-morbidities before attributing the death to a vector borne disease. For example, if a patient is severely ill due to other conditions and the main cause of death is not dengue, then the death is not attributed to the mosquito-borne disease,” the municipal official said.