“The recent deaths being attributed to chikungunya can’t have been caused by the vector-borne viral disease”. The condition of one confirmed chikungunya patient deteriorated and he suffered multiple organ failure.
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Till Wednesday, at least nine deaths due to dengue were reported this year in the national capital, though the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), which compiles the report on vector-borne diseases on behalf of all civic bodies here, has maintained the death toll at four.
So far, the death toll from mosquito-borne disease chikungunya has risen to 14 in Delhi this season. “We have had cases where physicians were ill but returned to work early seeing the number of patients”, said a senior doctor.
The All India Institute of Medical Sciences is getting several dengue patients everyday in its fever clinics, though its laboratories are testing less cases as positive compared to over 1,440 chikungunya blood test samples which have tested positive till yesterday. “We will look into why there have been chikungunya deaths in one hospital”, he said.
Within hours of returning from United States in the afternoon, Jung, who also faced criticism for being away from the capital for ten days, held a high-level meeting to review the situation related to spread of vector-borne diseases. “It’s a public health crisis”. The Health Minister pressed on the need to start rigorous awareness campaigns regarding the preventive steps to be taken by the people in their communities. “If we are not satisfied, we may again call the government”, the bench said.
“According to official figures, the arrivals at the Delhi airport of the foreign tourists with destinations is about 30 per cent of monthly traffic of about eight lakhs and a lot of them are headed for the Golden Triangle”, said D.S. Rawat, Secretary General, Assocham.
Gearing up to tackle the rising cases of chikungunya and dengue, Delhi Water Minister Kapil Mishra along with BJP parliamentarian from North East Delhi Manoj Tiwari conducted fogging in Sonia Vihar area of Karawal Nagar. The viral illness, considered non-fatal, has led to a panic since symptoms this time are severe and 13 lives have been lost to it.
The Government of Delhi asserted in the High Court that fewer number of chikungunya and dengue cases were reported in Delhi this year compared to last year.
The woman was admitted to the Shalimar Bagh Fortis Hospital with sepsis and cardiac problem, hospital sources said.
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Delhi’s Health Minister, Satyendra Jain, has reiterated that Chikungunya can not cause deaths, and added that this is a fact that is available on Google, and not his opinion. Nadda ji told me no one died of chikungunya in the entire country. People die directly of dengue. “The chief casualty medical officer is herself down with chikungunya”, said J C Passey, medical superintendent at Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital.
