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Delhi reports first malaria death in five years
NEW DELHI: The first malaria death in five years was reported in Delhi on Sunday, when 31-year-old Praveen Sharma succumbed to the illness.
NEW DELHI: The first malaria death in five years was reported in Delhi on Sunday, when 31-year-old Praveen Sharma succumbed to the illness.
Nineteen cases of mosquito- borne disease have been reported in Delhi so far this year, data from the Municipal Corporations of Delhi show.
Malaria is an infectious disease transmitted by the anopheles mosquito. It causes fever, chills, shivering, sweating, and muscle pain.
Sharma died on the evening of September 4 at Safdarjung hospital, to where he was shifted from a private hospital in east Delhi.
He was admitted to the private hospital on August 28. Confirming that the death was due to complications from malaria, the medical superintendent of Safdarjung hospital, Dr AK Rai, said the 31-year-old died due to cerebral oedema – accumulation of excess fluid inside the brain–and multi-organ failure .“Them an came to us in a very critical condition. He had already suffered a cardiac arrest at Max and was almost brain dead when he was brought here. He was admitted to the hospital’s ICU (intensive care unit),” he said.
“His papers from Max hospital said he had tested positive for malaria, although we are not sure whether a serology or a smear test was conducted,” Dr Rai added.
According to Max Hospital, Patparganj, “He had high temperature with chills, vomiting, difficulty in breathing and came to the hospital in an unconscious state. Upon examination, he was diagnosed with cerebral malaria and sepsis (blood infection). Patient was immediately intubated and put on ventilator support.”
On September 2, the patient’s family insisted that the patient be shifted to another hospital and left against medical advise.
Another 62-year-old from Shahdara is suspected to have died of malaria, however, the hospital or the civic body could not confirm this.
Delhi is already grappling with dengue and chikungunya, two other mosquito-borne illnesses.
Till September 3, the civic body reported 560 cases of chikungunya and 771 cases of dengue.
Two deaths due to dengue have also been reported by civic agencies, though HT has independently confirmed 6 deaths.
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