AIIMS reports 9 dengue deaths, toll 18

He said that the test for chikungunya are being done at government hospitals at free of cost.

“We can’t call these chikungunya deaths per se as there’s no concrete evidence they died of the disease. We have had cases where physicians were ill but returned to work early seeing the number of patients”, said a senior doctor. Nadda will meet Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain on Friday on the issue. Thirteen deaths were reported from chikungunya and 18 deaths from dengue. “But if patients are having other complications besides chikungunya and die, that is another matter”.

Five deaths from chikungunya were reported till yesterday in the city that is battling a viral onslaught of this disease after almost 10 years.

Ganga Ram Hospital had witnessed a total of four deaths since September 13. “We will look into why there have been chikungunya deaths in one hospital”, he said. She had died on September 1, officials said. “He was admitted yesterday in the ICU and his chikungunya RT-PCR test had come positive”, hospital authorities said.

With five more people succumbing to chikungunya in Apollo hospital on Wednesday, the number of deaths has gone up to 12 so far.

Terming engagement with private healthcare sector as “critical”, World Health Organization said that even probable dengue cases during outbreaks need to be reported to get more effective estimates while noting that strong surveillance, vector control, early diagnosis and case management and public awareness are key to control these vector-borne diseases.

Jain also said that the deaths due to the disease are suspicious, as four out of the six cases said to be related to chikungunya have been reported from the same hospital.

Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain, who today reviewed the steps taken for prevention of vector-borne diseases and preparedness for treating people affected by it, expressed disappointment over fogging drives carried out by the BJP-controlled civic bodies and directed them to do it effectively across the city.

On an average at least 1,200 fever cases are being reported daily at this hospital now.

Over 770 cases were reported till September 3 this season.

In the winter season, roughly 2.5-3 lakh foreign tourists visit the Golden triangle Circuit of Delhi-Agra-Jaipur, accounting for about 30 per cent of the total number of the inbound traffic in the country. The vector-borne disease had claimed its first victim on July 21 when a girl from Jafrabad in northeast Delhi died at Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) Hospital.

The other three deaths reported by SDMC include Nazish (38), sister-in-law of Okhla MLA Amanatullah Khan, who had died of dengue shock syndrome at Apollo Hospital on August 12.

“Among the patients, 70 per cent belonged to Uttar Pradesh, 10 per cent to Bihar and rest to Delhi”, the report said. Both died at Safdarjung Hospital.