Delhi government’s probe report may clear air on chikungunya deaths

The Delhi government’s preliminary findings on what caused 12 chikungunyarelated deaths in city hospitals is likely to be sent to the Union Health Ministry on Friday.

“The Delhi government is conducting an independent investigation on the cause of the deaths. We have spoken to the Delhi government, and sought the investigation report. We will get some parts of the report by Friday, which will clear the air somewhat,” said a senior official from the Union health ministry.

The Delhi government is examining if chikungunya infection killed people or if they died of complications not related to the mosquito-borne infection.

The infection is known to cause complications and lead to death in the elderly.

Even after the death of 12 people over past one month, both the Centre and the state government are clueless on how to certify the death a person who died of complications caused by chikungunya infection.

The Centre says it is for the Delhi government to investigate why people with chikungunya are dying but the state says it doesn’t have the expertise to conduct an in-depth investigation, and would need technical support.

The health ministry denies having received any request for help.

“We would certainly help if asked for it. So far, we have not received any such requests from the Delhi government. They are conducting an independent investigation,” said the health ministry official.