Dengue scare in Dumka

Dumka, Sept. 27: At least six persons have tested positive for dengue in the past week, claim private pathologists and doctors here.

All six exhibited symptoms of the disease after arriving from dengue-affected places like Delhi and Ranchi. However, Dumka civil surgeon S.N. Jha and district malaria officer P.P. Mishra continued to maintain that there were no dengue cases in the district.

Mrinal Kumar (26), a resident of Bandhpara who studies in Delhi, tested positive for dengue soon after arriving in the district yesterday. He is undergoing treatment under the supervision of a private doctor. Kumar’s reports show that he has a platelet count of 75,000 against the normal range of 1.5 lakh to 3.5 lakh.

“A dengue patient is considered critical when the platelet count goes below 50,000,” said a private pathologist, adding that fatalities occur if right medicines are not administered at the initial stage.

He added that he had conducted clinical tests of four patients, all testing positive. One has been cured by a private clinic.

Another pathologist claimed that two patients, who had tested positive at his clinic, were undergoing treatment at hospitals in Bengal.

However, the pathologists have not submitted the details of the patients to the district administration as they do not have legal sanction to run their clinics and thus, do not want to come under the administration’s glare.

Sources said sadar hospital did not have necessary facilities to conduct dengue tests. Hence, the hospital authorities have asked private pathological centres to supply the necessary kits as and when required.

The clinical instrument for the Elisa test — a biochemical procedure that detects antibody or antigen in a sample — has also not been made available either in the sadar hospital or any private clinics.

A local doctor, however, said the level of the platelets was being tested through a special disposable kit in private pathologies, which yielded genuine results.