2nd suspected dengue death reported in Bengaluru; Dr CN Manjunath calls for medical emergency: Report

Bengaluru could see its second dengue-related death, as an 11-year-old boy named Gagan is suspected to have passed away from the viral disease at a private hospital in the city on July 5, The Hindu reported. Earlier, on June 28, a 27-year-old man named Abhilash from Kaggadasapura also died due to dengue, contributing to the total of six dengue fatalities reported in the state so far.

Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Chief Tushar Giri Nath spoke to reporters and said, “In these cases, we get a report which says that cause of death is suspected to be dengue. After that, we run lab tests and then send the report to the Health Department. They check at their end before declaring the cause of death as dengue. So we cannot declare it as a dengue death until the audit report comes.”

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Dr CN Manjunath urges Karnataka to declare dengue as a medical emergency

In this light, Dr C N Manjunath, a prominent cardiologist and Bengaluru Rural MP, has urged the Karnataka government to declare dengue as a state medical emergency. He stressed the critical need to control mosquito breeding to prevent the spread of diseases such as chikungunya and zika, according to The Indian Express.

Dr Manjunath also called for the establishment of a task force comprising health officials, urban development authorities, zilla panchayat members, and water supply and sewerage board representatives to effectively manage the current outbreak.

“The cases are soaring close to 7,000 in the state with about six to seven deaths. Hassan, Chikmagalur, Bengaluru, and Mysore, among other districts, are seeing a steep rise in dengue cases. The government has to declare a state medical emergency to control the infection,” he said, as quoted by the publication.

“The monsoon rain coupled with unfinished road work, and construction of flyovers and underpasses is increasing the breeding ground for mosquitoes. Ideally, civic bodies should have finished monsoon-related works during summer, but they are still pending,” he added.

“Additionally, many children are falling victim to dengue these days. School management should hold a meeting to identify ways to protect children from being infected. There is no treatment for dengue if the infections get complicated. In most of the cases it leads to death,” he further stated.