Gautam Budh Nagar records second dengue death, case tally reaches 566

Gautam Budh Nagar recorded its second fatality from dengue this year after a 44-year-old man succumbed to the disease at a private hospital in Noida’s Sector 62 on November 4

Gautam Budh Nagar recorded its second fatality from dengue this year after a 44-year-old man succumbed to the disease at a private hospital in Noida’s Sector 62 on November 4.

Noida, India - October 27, 2021: Patient seen in dengue ward at the District Hospital in Sector 30, Noida, India on Wednesday, October 27, 2021. (Photo by Sunil Ghosh / Hindustan Times)

“The patient was a resident of Lodpura village in Greater Noida and was admitted to the private hospital on October 29. He was diagnosed with dengue but had comorbidities. He was suffering from diabetes and also had chest issues,” said Rajesh Sharma, district malaria officer.

According to official data, the district reported eight new cases of dengue in the last 24 hours ending on Saturday evening, taking the tally of cases to 566, of which 27 are active cases.

As per health department’s protocol, any dengue case reported at private or government hospitals across the district are first to be confirmed at the sentinel lab. The District Hospital in Sector 30 has been declared as the district-level sentinel lab by the state health department, informed Sharma.

“All the samples that are confirmed positive for dengue by private hospitals and health centres are first verified at the sentinel lab and only then included in the official tally and the same goes for reported fatalities. The district health department has been instructed to verify only those samples which have been declared positive by the ELISA (enzyme-linked immunoassay) test. The positive cases being reported from the district hospital, Super Specialty Paediatric Hospital and Post Graduate Teaching Institute, and the Government Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS) in Greater Noida are already being tested on ELISA and are directly included in the official tally,” said Sharma.

Medical experts say that this year, not only has the number of dengue cases increased in the district compared to previous years but the number of serious cases has also increased.

“This time, more dengue patients are suffering from high-grade fever. There are also more patients of dengue haemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome compared to previous years. The condition of such patient becomes critical as their platelet count deteriorates rapidly and the infection also starts diminishing red blood cells,” said Dr Yatendra Singh, medical superintendent of Bhangel community health centre (CHC), Gautam Budh Nagar

Currently, dengue testing is being done at the district hospital, the paediatric hospital and GIMS, Greater Noida.