CHENNAI: Dengue killed as many as 52 people in Tamil Nadu this year as on Sunday, according to the State Public Health department’s data. Besides, there are 32 other cases of “fever deaths” that are being audited by the State government to find out the exact reason of the death.The dengue toll this year is over 10 times the official 2016 count, which was just five for the entire last year. Also in 2016, the total number of dengue patients was just 2,531 as against 14,465 so far this year.
The number of people killed by swine flu also touched double digits this year. “There are 17 swine flu deaths reported this year,” Dr K Kolandaswamy, Director of Public Health, told Express.
However, the data uploaded in the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme and updated on October 22 still shows only 40 dengue deaths in Tamil Nadu. Also, the toll submitted at the recent review meeting conducted by CM ‘Edappadi’ K Palaniswami was 40.
When asked about it, Kolandaswamy said the number in the national database would be updated soon. Amidst the spiralling dengue cases this year, opposition parties have already accused the State government of suppressing the real figures.Following the huge jump in the dengue cases this year, a multi-disciplinary team sent by the Centre visited the State earlier this month to assess the severity of the outbreak and conducted field surveys.
Another death
One more suspected dengue death was reported in Kancheepuram district on Saturday. According to sources, G Raja Kumari (47), resident of Kottaipunjai in the district, was undergoing treatment for fever at SRMC. On Saturday she succumbed to suspected fever. The death report accessed by Express read that the patient suffered “septic shock, probably dengue”.