6 Children Killed in Dengue at Tamil Nadu's Vellore This Year

Before the 1970s, only nine countries around the world had recorded severe dengue epidemics. However, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) report, the mosquito-borne disease has rapidly spread in all regions of WHO in recent years with the number of cases increasing from 2.2 million to over 3.34 million between 2010 and 2016.

The disease is now endemic in more than 100 countries including Africa, the Americas, South-East Asia, the Eastern Mediterranean and the Western Pacific.

India too has been affected by the mosquito-borne disease thanks to favourable conditions brought forth by incessant rains and water stagnation. Tamil Nadu has been one state that has been severely affected by the mosquito-borne disease with reports suggesting over three thousand people being affected by dengue.

Now, dengue fever has claimed the life of a child in Tamil Nadu's Vellore district, reported The News Minute.

According to the report, 4-year-old Anusha Sundar from Tirupattur developed fever on Friday and was taken to a government hospital where she was given medication and sent home.

However, when her temperature did not return to normal on Sunday, she was referred to the government hospital in Vellore district on Monday.

The report stated that Anusha succumbed to the mosquito-borne disease on Tuesday morning, despite efforts to revive her.

Speaking about the disease, Dr R Selvi, dean of Vellore Government Hospital said that all efforts to contain and prevent the spread of dengue fever have been undertaken and that they are conducting regular campaigns in rural areas to ensure that people are well-informed about the conditions around the house which can cause breeding of disease-carrying mosquitoes, resulting in more cases of dengue.

Not only Vellore — Chennai, Coimbatore, Tiruvallur and Dharmapuri too have seen a spike in suspected dengue cases this year, the report further added.

In an earlier interaction with The News Minute, Dr K Kolandasamy, Director of Public Health, had stated that hospitals were conducting 'dengue prevention day' every week in an effort to spread awareness about the mosquito-borne disease.