Delhi stung by chikungunya: Toll mounts to five, over 1k cases

New Delhi, Sep 13 (PTI) Chikungunya is taking its toll inDelhi, with at least five deaths due to the vector-bornedisease reported in the last two days, including one today inthe national capital where its number of cases have climbed toover 1,000 this season. 75-year-old Prakash Kalra of Mathura died of the diseasethis evening at the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, where three otherelderly men succumbed to it yesterday. "He was brought to our hospital in a very aggressivestageof disease, having suffered kidney failure. He was admittedyesterday in the ICU and his chikungunya RT-PCR test had comepositive," hospital authorities said. Death of a 22-year-old girl from chikungunya at the HinduRao Hospital was also reported today. She had died onSeptember 1, officials said. Two of the three deaths that took place yesterday at SirGanga Ram Hospital, were reported today as well. 65-year-old Ramendra Pandey yesterday had died ofchikungunya at the same hospital, in what could be the firstsuch death in the national capital. Dr B S Rana, Chairman, Board of Management of Sir GangaRam Hospital, said in all the four deaths which have takenplace, the victims were elderly. "Uday Shanker (61) of Dwarka was admitted on September 11and he died on September 12. His RT-PCR test for chikungunyahad come positive. He had come to our OPD and then admitted. "Ashok Chauhan, 62, from Aligarh also died of chikungunyayesterday. He too was admitted in ICU on September 11 and hisRT-PCR test came positive," hospital authorities said. Doctors say that chikungunya is not a life-threateningdisease in general, but in rare cases leads to complicationsthat prove fatal, especially in children and old persons. Incidentally, Isha of Kabir Nagar area, died at Hindu RaoHospital, one of the biggest municipal hospitals in Delhi, dueto "complications triggered by chikungunya". "She was admitted on August 26 at the hospital. Herchikungunya test had come positive. She died due to cardiacarrest triggered by complications from chikungunya," a seniordoctor at the Hindu Rao Hospital said. Pandey, who was referred to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital from aGhaziabad hospital, had succumbed to the disease at thehospital at 4 AM after suffering chikungunya with sepsis. Incidentally, one suspected chikungunya death has alsobeen reported at the AIIMS, but hospital authorities are yetto confirm it. According to reports, the "chikungunya death"at the AIIMS took place sometime in September. Chikungunya cases in the national capital have sharplyrisen to over 1,000 this season, marking a jump of nearly 90per cent from its count last week. According to a municipal report released yesterday, atleast 1,057 cases of this vector-borne disease have beenrecorded till September 10, however, hospitals in the cityaltogether are reporting much higher number. Lalit Dar of Department of Microbiology at AIIMS said,"At our laboratories, 1,360 chikungunya blood test sampleshave tested positive till September 11." PTI KNDRG