Cuttack, Aug. 9: The state reported its first dengue death of the season after a 45-year-old man succumbed to the mosquito-borne disease in the city early this morning.
Official reports said Som Prakash Mishra, a resident of Chapra district in Bihar, died at SCB Medical College and Hospital here around 3.30am. He had been undergoing treatment at the state-run health care unit since Monday night.
Mishra, who had been working with a private organisation in Paradip, was admitted to the hospital with symptoms such as fluctuating fever and vomiting. The doctors there confirmed that the dengue was in an advanced stage after he tested positive for the disease.
"He was immediately shifted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Unfortunately, he succumbed early this morning," said Dr Sriprasad Mohanty, assistant nodal officer for treatment of dengue cases at the hospital.
Last year, 11 people died after sustained treatment for dengue at SCB. Anticipating a rise in the number of cases following the rains this year, the hospital had increased the number of beds in special wards for treatment of dengue patients to 92.
"The patients suffering from dengue are being provided with emergency treatment and free blood tests," Dr Mohanty said.
"Patients with suspected dengue symptoms at the casualty and outdoor departments are being thoroughly checked and admitted without delay."
The first dengue case in the city was reported from Ranihat in the first week of July. The hospital, till now, has witnessed 79 cases of dengue this season. Of the 27 persons who underwent blood tests yesterday, seven tested positive for the disease.
"At present, 13 dengue patients are under treatment at the special ward, two of them in the ICU," Dr Mohanty said.
Following reports of the outbreak of dengue under its jurisdiction, the municipal corporation had geared up to ensure that the vector-borne disease did not spread in the city. As part of a special sanitation drive, the civic body launched intensive bush cutting, clearance of blockages in drainage channels and maintaining sanitation yesterday.
"Apart from focusing on the areas from where dengue cases have been reported so far, the drive has also been extended to all wards," said chairman of the Cuttack Municipal Corporation's standing committee for sanitation Ranjan Kumar Biswal.
The outbreak of dengue has been attributed to poor sanitation as well as the accumulation of rainwater, which is breeding ground of the larvae of the Aedes mosquito, which carries the dengue virus.
"Spraying larvicide oil in the drains and areas prone to mosquito breeding is being done intensely," Biswal said.
Dengue cases have been reported from Ranihat, Nuabazar, Chauliaganj and Jagatpur this season. Areas from where dengue cases were reported in the past few years include Jagatpur, Thoriasahi, Kesarpur, Gamhandia, Malasahi, Manglabag, Santasahi, Rausapatna, Bhagatpur. The city has been witnessing regular outbreaks of dengue since 2012.
Three persons have already died of swine flu this year. Bhubaneswar has recorded two deaths from swine flu this season, while the other was reported from Cuttack.
Another 59 persons are undergoing treatment at various hospitals across the state. The Regional Medical Research Centre, the designated lab for testing swabs, has tested about 230 samples.
