Confusion over number of dengue deaths

LUDHIANA: Even though the health department has been making tall claims about the preventive measures it took to keep a check on cases of dengue and chikungunya, the confusion over exact of number of deaths reported due to these diseases, conveys a different picture. Contrary to the media reports based on the facts gathered from different private hospitals, which put the death toll due to such ailments to six, the health department has the information about only one suspected dengue death in the entire district this season.Though health officiala do not dispute that the number of deaths could be higher, they put the blame on private hospitals for not informing them about such deaths.
Earlier the residents had raised questions over the working of the health department as several cases of suspected dengue and chikungunya were reported in the private hospitals but the district health officials had claimed that they would confirm only after testing the samples on their own. Out of the total 6 reported cases of suspected dengue/chikungunya death reported across the media, the health department is working only on the case of 15-year-old girl from Khanna.
District Epidemiologist Dr Ramesh said, "We do not have any information about other cases except for the case wherein a 15-year-old- girl from Khanna. Further he claimed that the private hospitals do not provide information to the district health department.
When asked about the suspected dengue death which took place in civil hospital, he said that the doctors were not able to take the sample of the patient, as he died before his samples could have been taken. "According to our information there has been only one suspected dengue death and we are reviewing it to ascertain the reason behind the death," he said.
Meanwhile the residents said that the authorities should take proper steps to monitor the situation properly. A resident of Field Ganj area Gurmeet Singh said that the health department needed to take steps to stop the spread of diseases in that particular area from where the patient was reported. But no effective measures were taken.