TENKASI/TIRUNELVELI: A four-year-old boy from Tenkasi died of suspected dengue fever in Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital (TvMCH) on Wednesday evening. The deceased has been identified as S Aswanth, a UKG student at a private school in Alangulam. With this, two fever deaths have been recorded in Alangulam block within the last 20 days.
"Aswanth caught fever 10 days back and was initially taken to different private hospitals in Alangulam and Pavoorchatram. However, as his condition worsened, a private hospital allegedly confirmed that the boy was suffering from dengue fever. Following this, he was referred to TvMCH, where he died due to multiple organ failure," sources said.
Last year, a 10-year-old boy, S Seenivasan, from Kadankaneri village near Alangulam had died here on December 29 due to viral fever with hepatic encephalopathy. In the wake of the deaths, health officials have intensified mosquito eradication measures in Alangulam.
"So far, as many as 15 children have been infected by dengue fever in Alangulam block this month, and two of them are under treatment. Health officials have demanded more domestic breeding checkers (DBCs) from local body authorities to prevent the disease, as the shortage of DBCs is one of the main reasons for the dengue outbreak," sources added.