A 12-year-old boy in Valayambattu village near Vaniyambadi town died of dengue fever, prompting the district administration to intensify preventive measures including fogging and clearing of stagnant water in abandoned spots in the affected area, on Tuesday, January 9, 2024.
Health officials said that the child, identified as R. Gopinath, was a class 8 student at a private school in Vaniyambadi town. He was admitted to the Government Taluk Hospital in Vaniyambadi on January 2 due to high fever. Despite treatment, his fever continued and he suffered from vomiting and tiredness. Gopinath was subsequently admitted to the Government Medical College Hospital in Krishnagiri on January 4. As his health deteriorated, he was transferred to a private hospital in Bengaluru by his parents on January 5, where he died around 10.45 p.m. on January 8.
After the post-mortem, the body of the boy was handed over to his parents. Health officials said that on an average, 10-15 cases of dengue are reported in Tirupattur district every month.
“We have disinfected the entire affected area [Anna Nagar in Valayambattu village], following the report of the admission of the boy to Krishnagiri hospital. All GHs in the district have at least 20 beds each to attend to dengue cases,” T.R. Senthil, Deputy Director of Health Services (DDHS), Tirupatur, told The Hindu.
The boy’s death comes a few months after a five-year-old girl in Tirupattur town died of dengue fever on September 28.
