Firozabad CMO shifted as 41 die of suspected dengue
Ten-day statewide drive from Sept 7 to identify people suffering from mosquito-borne diseases, Covid and TB
LUCKNOW/AGRA: The Uttar Pradesh government swung into action after 41 people, mostly children, died due to dengue-like fever in Firozabad over the past week. The CMO in the district was transferred and all schools for classes 1 to 8 were closed till September 6 due to the suspected dengue outbreak.
“As many as 41 deaths due to suspected dengue fever have been reported in Firozabad. Of these, 36 were children and five adults. Patients are responding to treatment of dengue and reports of samples also confirm that most of the cases are of dengue,” stated Dr AK Singh, additional director (health).
A 10-day extensive drive had been planned to curb mosquitoborne diseases in the region, said officials.
Dr Nita Kulshreshtha, Firozabad CMO, was sent to Aligarh as senior consultant at the Malkhan Singh District Hospital while Dr Dinesh Kumar Premi, additional CMO at Hapur, replaced her as the new CMO of Firozabad where over 40 people died of dengue-like fever over the past week. However, the transfer order did not mention any reason.
On Tuesday, Firozabad BJP MLA Manish Asija had claimed that 44 people died of suspected dengue in the district since August 22-23.
Additional chief secretary, medical health, Amit Mohan Prasad said deaths in Firozabad and Mathura region were due to suspected dengue and scrub typhus disease.
“A 10-day special statewide campaign to identify people suffering from mosquito-borne diseases, Covid and TB will start from September 7,” said Prasad.
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath had visited Firozabad on Monday to take stock of the treatment of patients. On Wednesday, he directed officials to remain alert.
According to the data (updated till September 1 morning), UP reported 345 dengue cases with a maximum – 69 cases from Varanasi and 21 from Kanpur. Four fresh cases were reported from Rae Bareli on Wednesday.
Additional director (infectious diseases) Dr GC Vajpayee chaired a meeting with malaria control officers of Lucknow, Rae Bareli, Sitapur, Lakhimpur Kheri and gave instructions to conduct house-to-house surveys to check stagnant water.
Health department teams had been dispatched to Firozabad and Mathura (where suspected dengue and scrub typhus cases were reported) to provide treatment to people and take preventive measures, he said.
The health department sent 44 samples from Firozabad to the lab at the King George’s Medical University in Lucknow to identify the disease that claimed many lives.
“A few cases of fever come daily, but majority do not need admission. But with monsoon still continuing in the region, the threat of mosquito-borne diseases including malaria and dengue is there,” said Prof Kauser Usman, HoD, geriatric medicine at KGMU in Lucknow.
Lucknow hospitals including Civil, Balrampur, Rani Laxmibai and Lok Bandhu, have arranged stocks of medicine to treat fever cases. “Community and primary health centres have been asked to keep medicines and facilities ready to cater fever cases, if any,” said a senior health official.
“The state government has taken effective steps and transferred Firozabad CMO. Senior doctors are being asked to remain present at the hospital where these patients are admitted. Surveillance is being conducted in slum areas to trace children taking ill,” stated Manish Asija, BJP MLA from Firozabad.
However, opposition party leaders blamed the local administration and health authorities in Firozabad for their “slow reaction to deaths caused by fever all through August.”
“Health authorities responded to deaths only after the chief minister’s visit to Firozabad. Had there been timely action, many precious lives could have been saved,” alleged Avnindra Yadav, state secretary of the Samajwadi Party.