New Delhi : Five more deaths from chikungunya complications were reported on Wednesday at a private hospital in Delhi, taking to 10 the number of fatalities due to the vector-borne disease in the national capital that is grappling with a severe health crisis.
All five deaths have taken place at Apollo Hospital and most of the victims were aged 80 or above. “We have had five deaths in the past three weeks of patients with chikungunya fever, most of whom were elderly.
Chikungunya is taking its toll in the national capital where the number of cases have climbed to over 1,000 this season and fever clinics are getting swamped with rush of patients. “Most of them had associated co-morbid disease conditions and complications like chronic kidney disease, coronary artery disease, which affect the course of recovery,” the hospital said. Five deaths from chikungunya were reported till Tuesday in the city that is battling a viral onslaught of this disease after nearly 10 years. Four of these deaths took place at the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH).
Doctors say that chikungunya is not a life-threatening disease in general, but in rare cases leads to complications that prove fatal, especially in children and old persons.
According to a municipal report released on Tuesday, at least 1,057 cases of this vector-borne disease have been recorded till September 10.
Apollo Hospital authorities said that out of the five patients who died, four were men and one woman.-PTI
