Baby succumbs to dengue

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A one-and-a half-year-old boy in Villivakkam succumbed to dengue at a private hospital here late on Thursday night.

The child, Nitish, had developed multiple organ failure and started bleeding after his platelet count dropped alarmingly, a typical symptom of dengue.

The corporation of Chennai claims that there was no outbreak of dengue in the city, but doctors here report seeing at least 10 cases in a week. However, there is no need to panic, as dengue is easily treatable if the infection is caught early.

“The baby was ill when he came here on August 15. He hardly had any pulse and his blood pressure was dangerously low at 60/80 mm. He had multiple organ failure,” said a doctor at Mehtha’s children’s hospital.

The child continued to have high fever and also suffered liver damage. His heart could not stand the strain and despite doctors trying to resuscitate him with CPR, the child died on Thursday night.

A team from the corporation investigated the case and also visited Villivakkam to check for traces of the mosquito-borne virus.

“Based on samples collected from around Villivakkam area, we can safely say there is no dengue. We have also got rid of all breeding places like old tyres and discarded pots from the area.

The child who died has traveled to Vellore recently, we suspect he contracted it there,” said a corporation release.

However, private doctors say that they have been receiving quite a few cases of dengue in the past couple of weeks; the usual trend at this time of the year.

“I have seen around 10 to 12 cases in the past fortnight, of which one or two children had to be admitted for IV fluids.

It is crucial that parents look out for the tell-tale signs of dengue and seek medical attention before it is too late,” says consultant pediatrician and pediatric nephrologist Dr N. Prahlad.

The person will develop high fever and rashes. The fever may disappear in a day, but that is when parents should be even more cautious and look for signs like abdominal pain, cold fingers and feet and monitor the urine output.

“The patient must be taken to hospital even if the fever comes down. There is no medication for dengue; the patient will have to take plenty of fluids,” says Dr Prahlad.