Via The Times of India: Dengue claims Mumbai teen's life, death toll rises to six. Excerpt:
MUMBAI: A 17-year-old boy from Mira Road died, suspected of dengue, within 24 hours of being admitted to a tertiary care hospital. With him, the number of lives claimed by the vector borne ailment in and around the city has risen to six.
Head of BMC's epidemiology department Dr Mangala Gomare, however, assured citizens there was nothing to panic. "Yes, there is a rise in positive cases but mortality rate due to dengue has remained the same as the two previous years. We are closely monitoring the scene," she said.
On Wednesday evening, Movel Pinto's organs started failing one after another. He was admitted to Bhaktivedanta Hospital in Mira Road but within 24 hours, his condition deteriorated, with the severe pain in his abdomen, fever and jaundice worsening. Chief intensivist of the hospital Dr Suraj Purushothaman said Pinto's renal function degenerated and the boy started sinking.
Before coming to Bhaktivedanta, Pinto underwent treatment in a nursing home that referred him to this hospital once his condition started worsening. Purushotham said in Bhaktivedanta, two others died of dengue in September and the previous month.
There has been a sudden spurt of dengue cases in the past fortnight, with 189 cases confirmed this month. This year also witnessed more people afflicted with dengue than that in the past two years; this year's count so far is 451, while the numbers were 416 in 2011 and 115 in 2010. Dengue toll in Mumbai has, however, been restricted to three all these years.
