Firozabad deaths due to dengue, not ‘mystery disease’: UP govt
“Patients are being provided free-of-cost treatment. The chief minister has met patients and their families,” said Sehgal.
Uttar Pradesh’s additional chief secretary (information) Navneet Sehgal on Friday said recent deaths in Firozabad were due to dengue and seasonal diseases and ruled out reports of “mystery disease”, even as toll in the district rose to 50 with three more fatalities.
“In some districts, including Firozabad, cases of dengue and seasonal diseases were reported. The state government has deployed 15 more doctors in Firozabad and a special cleanliness drive will be conducted in the entire state from September 5 to curb mosquito-borne diseases,” Sehgal said in a press conference in Lucknow.
He added that in each district a nodal officer will coordinate the cleanliness campaign and blood samples of patients were being tested at the King George’s Medical University in the state capital.
“Patients are being provided free-of-cost treatment. The chief minister has met patients and their families,” said Sehgal.
Firozabad chief medical officer Dr Dinesh Kumar Premi confirmed 50 deaths in the district. Premi recently joined as CMO after Dr Neeta Kulshrestha was shunted from the post on September 1. Schools in the western UP district are closed till September 6 for students up to Class 8.
There are 36 active camps in the district and 3,719 people, including those who have fever, are undergoing treatment there, the CMO said.
“Most of the deaths in Firozabad, particularly those in recent days, were because of dengue. The reason for deaths in the early part is not yet clear. Patients are responding to treatment for dengue,” said Dr AK Singh, additional director (Health) at Agra.
Firozabad, about 50 km from Agra, has witnessed a surge in fever deaths all through August and the initial days of September.
Meanwhile, hospitals have started preparing facilities to cater to fever patients in case they come in big numbers. Lok Bandhu and Balrampur hospitals in Lucknow have prepared a separate dengue ward each with mosquito nets for each bed.
Lok Bandhu hospital has set up 10 beds while Balrampur Hospital has prepared 20 beds in their respective dengue wards.
“Keeping dengue patients separate from other patients is necessary. Hence, we have arranged separate ward with mosquito net on each bed in the ward,” said Dr Ajay Shankar Tripathi, medical superintendent of Lok Bandhu Hospital.
Doctors warned against mosquito breeding and said stagnant water in and around houses should immediately be removed.
“Even a spoonful of stagnant water is enough for mosquito breeding. Water even in flowerpots should be changed every day,” said Dr Abhishek Shukla, secretary general, Association of International Doctors.