While the government has been downplaying the dengue menace in Telangana, two more deaths due to dengue were confirmed in Hyderabad on Wednesday.
The victims were identified as 13-year-old T John Winston, and five-year-old K Ruthvika, who died while availing treatment in two different private hospitals. John succumbed to dengue on Tuesday, while Ruthvika, a resident of Lalapet in Secunderabad, died at Rainbow Hospital in Banjara Hills on Wednesday. Reportedly, Ruthvika's platelet count had dropped alarmingly.
According to a Times of India report, the hospital authorities said that they would be added to the list of “suspected dengue deaths” on official records and will be re-verified by health officials.
As per the report, the death toll in the state due to dengue has now risen to over 50.
Alarmingly, according to media reports, 530 cases of dengue have been confirmed in the state in the last 25 days. Hyderabad alone has recorded 372 cases of dengue up until August-end, but government officials say the actual numbers could be much higher. However, the government has been underplaying the severity of the issue and claims that the number of dengue cases is less compared to previous years.
Read: How many cases of dengue has Telangana seen this year? Why the numbers are unclear
Earlier this week, reacting to the dengue menace, Health Minister Eatala Rajender was quoted as saying, “We cannot say how many died of dengue this year. The reason for all the deaths recorded in the hospitals will be analysed to check whether they were caused by viral fever, dengue or influenza and then it will be cross-checked by an expert committee before an announcement can be made. We can only make an announcement after the entire process gets concluded next year.”
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Etala Rajender had instructed the officials of GHMC, Municipalities and District medical officers of Medak, Ranga Reddy, Medchal and Sangareddy district, to ensure regular fogging and spraying at vulnerable places, according to a government press release. The minister instructed the officials to conduct special drive on sanitation in order to control the spread of seasonal diseases, the release adds.