The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Siddaiah denies dengue deaths

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Wednesday, Jul 28, 2010
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Siddaiah denies dengue deaths

Staff Reporter

Of 706 samples, 209 tested positive for dengue and 82 for chikungunya

Civic body steps to contain the spread of
vector-borne diseases
Private hospitals must send reports about cases of dengue to BBMP

Bangalore: Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Commissioner Siddaiah on Tuesday maintained that no dengue-related deaths have been reported in Bangalore this year.

Addressing presspersons here, he said that of the 706 blood samples sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, 209 tested positive for dengue and 82 for chikungunya. Last year, 2,310 samples were sent, of which 313 tested positive for dengue and 726 for chikungunya.

He said that as per Section 402 of the Karnataka Municipal Corporations Act, 1976, private hospitals are obliged to send reports about the deaths and positive cases of dengue and chikungunya to the BBMP. He also said that the BBMP had issued show-cause notices to three hospitals — Gayathri Hospital in Vijayanagar, Tirumala Hospital in Kamakshipalya and St. John's Hospital in Koramangala — for not providing information to the BBMP in time and for claiming that deaths were due to dengue.

Mr. Siddaiah said that even the death of 15-year-old Akshay Kumar of Malavalli was not due to dengue. “The hospital has submitted an undertaking to the BBMP saying the death was not dengue-related. Even the death reported today of 23-year-old Prema cannot be attributed to dengue. Unless it is confirmed by NIV, we cannot claim that it was a dengue-related death,” he said.

He claimed that the civic authority, along with the Department of Health and Family Welfare, had taken steps to contain the spread of vector-borne diseases. However, he said that most dengue cases were being reported from Sarvagna Nagar, C.V. Raman Nagar, Shivajinagar, Chamarajpet and Mahadevapura.

E.V. Ramana Reddy, Secretary, Department of Health and Family Welfare, rubbished allegations of the authorities deliberately underplaying the spread of the diseases and fatalities. He said that the general trend of the spread of vector-borne diseases and A(H1N1) is that it is decreasing across the State.

In 2009, of the 1,764 positive dengue cases, there were eight deaths in the State. This year, of the 742 cases, there has been only one death. While 3,239 chikungunya cases were reported last year, there have been only 588 cases this year. Of the 1,664 A(H1N1) cases reported last year, there were 135 deaths. This year, of the 561 A(H1N1) cases, there have been 49 fatalities.

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