Tripura health department was embarrassed by the report of the first dengue death in a private hospital in Agartala on August 2, a source said on August 3.
However, health officials claimed they had no confirmation, although the hospital authority admitted that the 65-year-old patient died of dengue.
The patient, a resident of Dhanpur in Sonamura under Sepahijala district, had been suffering from a high fever and loose motion since July 27. He fell unconscious, and his body temperature was abnormally high, said the deceased’s son.
After primary treatment at Dhanpur Hospital, the patient was taken to Sonamura Hospital, where he was diagnosed with dengue. He was immediately admitted to the Tripura Medical College hospital, but his health condition continued to deteriorate for the next two days.
“As we saw no improvement in his health, we shifted him to a private hospital. They tried hard but could not save his life,” the patient’s son said. He alleged that the specialist doctors did not attend the patient at the medical college despite his symptoms indicating an emergency.
According to the report, as many as 37 people infected with dengue have been undergoing treatment at the Agartala Government Medical College, while a large number of patients have been admitted to local hospitals in Sonamura.
The Tripura government has already made dengue testing mandatory for all Bangladeshi nationals coming to the state.
The health department has organised health camps in each of the villages in the affected areas of Sonamura and deployed additional doctors with medical aid to deal with the situation, said health secretary Debashis Basu.
“We have directed the health extension workers to go for extensive door-to-door inspection on the status of the people suffering from fever. The advisory has been issued across the state to reach the hospital if anybody feels feverish or has related ailments,” the health official added.
The department has distributed a large number of mosquito nets in the affected villages of Sonamura and advised the people to use mosquito nets even during the daytime when they go to sleep. The villages of Bangladesh, on the other side of Sonamura, have also reported a spurt of dengue recently, and it was believed that cross-border mosquito movement might be the reason for the spread on the Indian side.
