Five-yr-old girl dies due to dengue in Tirupattur, toll increases to four

CHENNAI: One more dengue death of a five-year-old girl was reported in Tirupattur on Wednesday. This makes it the fourth death due to dengue in Tamil Nadu. So far, 4,454 people have been affected with dengue in Tamil Nadu this year, out of which, 390 people are being treated in hospitals currently.

The girl Abinidhi, was a resident of Shivrajpettai and was taken to a private hospital when she developed fever on September 23.

She was treated and discharged as her symptoms subsided. However, three days later, she experienced vomitting and was taken to the Government Medical College and Hospital in Tirupattur, without responding to the treatment. Earlier this month, a four year old child passed away due to dengue at the Institute of Child Health in Chennai.

Meanwhile, the officials from the state health department said that the government is working towards prevention of cases and loss of lives due to fever and dengue.

"The department is holding special medical camps in the coming week and those found to have fever will be treated at the government hospitals, nearby Primary Health Centers or medical college hospitals. They will also be tested for influenza and dengue if the fever continues for more than four days. It is important to visit a healthcare facility if the symptoms do not subside or late treatment can lead to haemorrhage or bleeding, " said an official from the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine.

Responding to the queries on the increasing cases of dengue, health minister Ma Subramanian said that every year during monsoon seasons, approximately 8,000 cases of dengue are reported.

The department is carrying out domestic breeding checks and working towards the prevention of water stagnation that leads to the breeding to prevent the loss of lives in the coming years. He said that there is no major outbreak like the surge of dengue cases in 2012 and 2017 and the situation is in control.