AGRA: At least 20 of the 25 people who died of high fever with dengue-like symptoms in Agra district over the past one week were children, according to health authorities here . Among them, five children below the age of 15 died in the past 24 hours.
In the past one month, more than 250 cases of dengue have been confirmed in Agra district and 52 of the 65 people who died in the district were children, the health department officials said.
The high incidence of fever has not only taken a toll on the patients but also stretched the government medical facilities to breaking point. People in rural areas are the worst-hit as the government–run medical facilities at most places do not have a doctor.
People have been forced to either pay large sums of money for treatment at private clinics or depend on quacks.
Santosh Singh of Sarai Jairam village said, “My 10-month-old son was suffering from fever for the last four days. We got medicines for him from a private clinic as no doctor was available at the government centre. On Thursday evening, his condition deteriorated.
He died on the way to SN Medical College (SNMC).” Virendra Singh of Modipura village under Pihanat block said, “Most of the people suffering fromhigh fever are dependent on quacks as the govtcentres are full.” Each family has a member or two suffering from high fever, said Mukesh Chaudhary of Midkoli village.
The community health centre at the village is not admitting patients while the district hospital and SNMC are 60 km from there, he added.
Meanwhile, three more patients succumbed to high fever over the last 24 hours in Firozabad district, two in Etah, one in Kasganj and one in Mainpuri. The Agra division accounted for more than 5,000 cases of dengue since August with Firozabad district registering the maximum at 4,580 cases, Mathura 610 cases, Agra 250 and Mainpuri 120 cases.
