Woman dies; dengue toll reaches four in Delhi

A 35-year-old woman has died of dengue at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), taking the death toll in the vector-borne disease to four this year.

A 35-year-old woman has died of dengue at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), taking the death toll in the vector-borne disease to four this year.

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The municipal corporation has reported that Gautam Priyanka, a resident of Kishan Gargh in south Delhi, succumbed to the mosquito-borne infection on at AIIMS September 27.

The number of confirmed deaths due to dengue in Delhi is now four while the number of suspected deaths stands at seven.

Priyanka was admitted with very high fever to the medicine ward at AIIMS on September 21. “Her vital parameters were unstable and her platelet count was very low. She was brought in a critical condition and gradually her organs started failing,” said a senior doctor at the hospital.

The woman had tested IgM positive through ELISA, the confirmatory test that civic agencies accept.

This year, the disease has reached epidemic proportions. In the past one week alone, the city has reported 792 cases of dengue, which means an alarming 100 cases every day.

Last year, the entire month of October had reported 951 dengue cases. The total number of infected people has also already reached 2,916.

“This is the peak time for dengue and other mosquito-borne infections. The spike in numbers is due to the intermittent rain we are still getting. It will take longer for the disease to settle this year,” said Dr RK Singal, medical superintendent, BLK Hospital.

On an average, the hospital gets about 50 patients with dengue-like symptoms every day, of which 20 need to get admitted. “Nearly 15% of our dengue patients require blood transfusion. Our wards are full and it is a struggle to accommodate 20 patients daily,” he said.