18-year-old succumbs to dengue, doctors expect more cases as disease spikes

NEW DELHI: Dengue claimed the life of another victim in Delhi, with an 18-year-old man succumbing to the mosquito-borne viral infection in a city hospital on Sunday

NEW DELHI: Dengue claimed the life of another victim in Delhi, with an 18-year-old man succumbing to the mosquito-borne viral infection in a city hospital on Sunday morning.

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The victim, a resident of Shaheen Bagh, Okhla in south Delhi, was admitted to Indraprastha Apollo hospital on Friday morning in a very critical condition.

“His blood pressure was very low and he was put on ventilator. He passed away this morning due to dengue shock syndrome,” confirmed hospital sources.

The civic agencies of the city, however, did not confirm the death as having been caused by dengue and the data released by the three Municipal Corporations of Delhi confirmed only two dengue deaths so far this season, both at the Safdarjung Hospital.

Hindustan Times has, however, independently confirmed two other dengue deaths— that of a 17-year-old girl from Jafrabad who, according to her death certificate, died of “dengue shock syndrome” at Lok Nayak hospital on July 21 and a 38-year-old woman, who died of cardiac arrest and multi-organ failure as a result of dengue haemorrhagic fever at Apollo hospital on August 12.

The death of the 18-year-old, hence, makes it the fifth dengue death so far this year.

Last week, 83 new cases of dengue had been reported from the city, taking the total number of cases till date to 311 this year. In the corresponding period last year, 530 dengue cases had been reported.

Delhi witnessed its worst dengue outbreak in 2015, which affected almost 16,000 people and killed 60, the government data shows.

The actual numbers this year could also be higher as two government hospitals – Dr Ram Manohar Lohia and Safdarjung — alone have confirmed 243 cases till date.

The disease usually peaks around the month of October, and doctors are expecting more cases in the next couple of months.

The strain circulating this year is Type 3, which is a milder strain that largely does not cause severe symptoms.

“We haven’t had many hospitalisations this season, as most of those who tested positive for dengue recovered at home with symptomatic treatment,” said Dr RK Singal, head of internal medicine department, BLK super-speciality Hospital.