Dengue cases: State govt sends medical team to Firozabad

AGRA: The Uttar Pradesh government on Thursday sent a team of 15 doctors to Firozabad district to investigate the reasons behind the rise in cases of dengue and viral fever.

The team, comprising 10 doctors and five specialists, began its work on Thursday, on the instructions of CM Yogi Adityanath, additional director, health (Agra), Dr AK Singh said. Firozabad continues to be the worst-affected district in the Braj region of western UP with the death toll due to dengue having gone up to 61 since mid-August. Besides, cases of high fever have also been reported in Mathura, Mainpuri and Kasganj districts.

Dr AK Singh confirmed 61 deaths in Firozabad so far.

“Out of these 61 deaths, 50 are of children and 11 adults because of dengue in Firozabad,” he said.

No deaths have been reported officially in the last few days, according to the news agency PTI. The flow of patients into the government medical college and the community health centres here has continued unabated.

“There are about 490 children admitted in the hospital of the Firozabad Medical College and all efforts are being made to treat them,” stated Dr Sangeeta Aneja, the principal of the Firozabad Medical College. Led by Dr G S Vajpayee, a specialist in communicable diseases, the team sent by the UP government will investigate the causes of disease and suggest measures to control the spread of dengue and viral fever, Dr Singh said. He also said a section of the media was reporting an inflated death toll.

Mathura district has also reported cases of fever, mostly scrub typhus and leptospirosis.

The Koh village in the Farah area of Mathura district was the worst affected and about half-a dozen people died there.

“There have been 11 deaths in Mathura. This includes seven children and four adults. They all had complaints of high fever,” stated Dr AK Singh.