7-year-old dies of dengue, toll reaches 7 this year

One more death due to dengue was reported in the national Capital, taking the official toll due to seven due to the vector-borne disease this season. The death has once again raised questions on city's civic apathy.

Seven-year-old Shaurya Pratap Singh died on November 22, two days after he was admitted to Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital, officials said. He was initially admitted to Gurugram's Medanta Hospital, where it was confirmed that he was suffering from dengue. He was also kept on a ventilator for 15 days as his condition was extremely critical.

"He was shifted to the RML hospital on November 20, where his condition deteriorated further. He had only five per cent chance of survival. Singh died on November 22," a senior doctor at the hospital said.

As per official records, this is the seventh death due to dengue in Delhi. Earlier, the first dengue death was reported by the MCD on August 1, when a 12-year-old boy died of dengue shock syndrome at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH).

Three more deaths were reported in October by the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), which tabulates the data for the entire city. However, the civic body is yet to acknowledge two dengue deaths reported from the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan (LNJP) hospital.

According to the data released by the civic authorities on Monday, at least 347 cases of dengue were reported in the city last week, taking the total number of people affected by the vector-borne disease to 8,896.

Besides, the number of malaria and chikungunya cases recorded till November 25 stood at 1,128 and 901, respectively.Of the total of 8,896 dengue cases, 4,556 patients belonged to Delhi, while 4,340 had come to the city for treatment from other states, the report stated.

347 CASES IN 1 WK

According to latest civic data, 347 cases of dengue were reported in the city last week, taking the total number of people affected by the disease to 8,896 this year