Chikungunya: Delhi toll mounts to 5, over 12,000 cases in country

Chikungunya is taking its toll in Delhi and a few other cities across the country, with at least five deaths due to the vector-borne disease reported in the last two days, including a fatality today in the national capital where its number of cases have climbed to over 1,000.

75-year-old Prakash Kalra of Mathura died of the disease this evening at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital here, where three other elderly men succumbed to it yesterday.

"He was brought to our hospital in a very aggressive stage of disease, having suffered kidney failure. He was admitted yesterday in the ICU and his chikungunya RT-PCR test had come positive," hospital authorities said.

Death of a 22-year-old girl from chikungunya at the Hindu Rao Hospital in the city was also reported today. She had died on September 1, officials said.

According to National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP), around 12,255 cases of chinkungunya have been reported across the country till August 31. Karnataka alone has recorded 8,941, Maharashtra 839 and Andhra Pradesh 492.

Meanwhile, a senior health ministry official said at this moment, there is an "outbreak" situation with regard to Chikungunya.

In what could be the first death due to chikungunya in the national capital, 65-year-old Ramendra Pandey died yesterday.

Pandey, who was referred to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital from a Ghaziabad hospital, had succumbed to the disease at the hospital at 4 am after suffering chikungunya with sepsis.

Dr B S Rana, Chairman, Board of Management of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, said in all the four deaths which have taken place, the victims were elderly.

"Uday Shanker (61) of Dwarka was admitted on September 11 and he died on September 12. His RT-PCR test for chikungunya had come positive. He had come to our OPD and then admitted.

"Ashok Chauhan, 62, from Aligarh also died of chikungunya yesterday. He too was admitted in ICU on September 11 and his RT-PCR test came positive," hospital authorities said.

Doctors say chikungunya is not a life-threatening disease in general, but in rare cases leads to complications that prove fatal, especially in children and old persons.

Incidentally, Isha of Kabir Nagar area, died at Hindu Rao Hospital, one of the biggest municipal hospitals in Delhi, due to "complications triggered by chikungunya".

"She was admitted on August 26 at the hospital. Her chikungunya test had come positive. She died due to cardiac arrest triggered by complications from chikungunya," a senior doctor at the Hindu Rao Hospital said.

Incidentally, one suspected chikungunya death has also been reported at the AIIMS, but hospital authorities are yet to confirm it. According to reports, the "chikungunya death" at the AIIMS took place sometime in September.

At AIIMS laboratories, 1,360 chikungunya blood test samples have tested positive till September 11.