Killer fever claims four-month-old, woman

TIRUNELVELI: Two more, including a girl child, died of dengue here on Monday. Kiruthiga, a four-month-old daughter of Kamaraj, of Lakshmiyur, near Alangulam, who was running high fever, was admitted to a private hospital a few days ago. Since the fever was unabated, the child was shifted to the Palayamkottai Government Hospital on Sunday.She was treated in the dengue ward opened at the GH. But, she died in the early hours of Monday. In another incident, Meena (35), wife of Gopal in Ramanasamuthiram, near Kadayam, was admitted with fever in a private hospital. She was shifted to Palayamkottai GH on Monday at 2 am after her condition deteriorated. However, she died of the fever around 3.30 am. Six-year-old girl Tamil Selvi of Achankulam was another victim who recently succumbed at the Tirunelveli Medical College HospitalMeanwhile, as 22 persons, mostly kids, have died of dengue, residents of Kadayanallur, where the killer fever first started in the district, said delay in supply of drinking water and bad sanitation were key reasons for the outbreak.  So far, the fever has claimed 20 lives, said a senior health department officer. Gunalan from  Kadayanallur said his 9-month-old baby was undergoing treatment for the last 5 days in the hospital for suspected dengue. But what is worrying is that sewerage let out from houses into the Pappan Channel, which runs near Kadayanallur GH. Visitors fear that this might intensify the condition of patients.Distribution of drinking water by the municipality only once a week to residents was the reason for the outbreak , allege residents adding that as the sanitation condition was poor in Kadayanallur, most of the viral diseases originate from here.Santhi of Muthu Krishnapuram, Kadayanallur, said that water was being given only in once in 5 days . Sometimes, this duration also stretches to a few more days and moreover the drinking water provided was not hygienic, she complained. As a result people store the water for several days and consume it. The use of stored water might have also caused dengue, opined Shanti. Navas, another resident, said that the number of dengue cases was increasing alarmingly in the region. But health officials claimed that the number of victims was coming down. A municipality official accepted that the delay in drinking water supply could have caused the dengue in the town. The first dengue death from here was reported on April 14.Another officer said as part of the preventive measures, chemicals were sprayed in houses routinely for larvae control.