Telangana: 10-year-old dies of dengue in Karimnagar

Hyderabad: A 10-year-old girl from Vidyanagar colony in Karimnagar district passed away reportedly of dengue fever while undergoing treatment at a private hospital on Monday, September 30.

The victim’s father Ravula Venkateshwarlu, said she had been suffering from a fever for a week. After home treatment failed, she was admitted to a private hospital in Hanamkonda, where tests confirmed dengue.

Despite treatment, her platelet count dropped rapidly, leading to her death on Monday morning.

In a similar incident on July 29, a 17-year-old youngster lost his life fighting the dengue disease at a private hospital.

The victim has been identified as Nikhil, a resident of Suraram village in Chinna Shankarampet mandal of Medak district who was undergoing treatment in Hyderabad.

OGH records surge in dengue cases this year

Osmania General Hospital (OGH) has seen a surge in dengue cases this year. Between January and September 24th, the hospital reported a staggering 398 cases, making it the most common vector-borne disease treated.

As of August 31st, 2024, the state of Telangana has confirmed a total of 6,405 dengue cases. This number came from over 111,000 tests conducted, with a positivity rate of 5.7%.

The situation worsened significantly in late August, with a massive spike of 1,757 new cases reported in just the last 10 days of the month. This surge represents a concerning 27.4% of the state’s total dengue cases.

Earlier, The National Centre for Vector Borne Diseases Control (NCVBDC), Telangana reported 722 dengue cases in July alone as the total number surged to 1800 from January to July this year. The centre recorded 1,078 dengue cases from January to June. However, the total number surged to 1,800 by the end of July.

Of these cases, 60% were within the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limits. The remaining cases were spread across various districts, notably Bhadradri Kothagudem, Mahabubnagar, Karimnagar, Nizamabad, and Khammam.

However, the historical data shows a decreasing trend in dengue cases: 13,331 cases and seven deaths in 2019; 2,173 cases in 2020; 7,135 cases in 2021; 8,972 cases in 2022; and 8,016 cases with one death in 2023.