CHENNAI: Dengue and mystery fever continues to strike, with the toll climbing despite State’s claims on preventive efforts, with most victims being children. Reports of eight deaths came from as many districts - Villupuram, Tiruchy, Cuddalore, Tirupattur, Vandava si, Madurai, Dindigul and Chennai.
While political parties have gone to town with the news, what irked people in Salem was the VIP treatment accorded to father of district Deputy Director (DD) of Health Service at the Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College Hospital, where he was admitted with symptoms of dengue. While there was no authentic count on the dengue cases in the State, DMK working president M K Stalin pegged it around 7,000.
Villupuram’s registered its second dengue death in as many months with hotelier R Krishna (36) from VOC Nagar dying on Wednesday evening. In Cuddalore, the toll rose to two with 38-year-old Angammal succumbing on Wednesday. A few days ago, a 25-year-old woman from Kanur in Cuddalore had died of dengue. Two families of daily wagers lost their school-going daughters following high fever in Tirupattur and Vandavasi on Thursday. Last week, two boys had succumbed in Ambur and Jolarpettai. Tiruchy recorder a suspected dengue death, with a four-year-old girl from Manikandam town passing away on Thursday.
In Madurai, a 11-year-old girl undergoing dengue treatment at Government Rajaji Hospital, died on Thursday. Thiruselvi, a Class VI student, hailing from Kayampatti, had been shifted there a few days ago. A Class XII boy from Dindigul died at the Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai due to mystery fever on Wednesday. Sources said his death could not be attributed to dengue because his platelet count was normal.
