Count of dengue patients in Gurgaon reaches 40

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 20

With 10 more cases of dengue reported from Gurgaon in the last two days, the number of cases in the district has touched 40.

The urban pockets of Wazirabad and Gurgaon are the worst hit. Two deaths were reported from private hospitals last week. The health authorities have sent the samples of further tests to confirm dengue as the cause of death.

The fresh cases were reported from Sector 15, Sector 22, Palam Vihar, Patel Nagar, DLF Phase-II, Sector 28, Sector 17 and MG Road. Earlier, cases were reported from Daulatabad, Sector 15, Sector 49, Sector 31 and Bhondsi jail.

Meanwhile, families of dengue patients, especially those with rare blood groups, are being charged hefty amount by private blood banks for platelets. Besides, they have to shell out heavy “processing fee”. The law does not allow platelets to be bought or sold.

Processing fee differ in blood banks, but the bill for platelets could go up to Rs15,000, said doctors and families of dengue patients.

In Sonepat, six out of 39 suspected patients tested positive for the virus — the latest being a three-year-old girl of West Ramnagar. She was referred to women’s medical college, Khanpur Kalan, yesterday.

Sources said a separate ward with six beds had been arranged in the local Civil Hospital for dengue patients.

Civil Surgeon Dr JS Punia said nearly 35 teams of paramedical staff at every Primary Health Centre in the district were visiting every village to carry out fogging and identifying water bodies where mosquitoes could breed.