Mystery fever spreads fear to more parts in Tiruvallur

Residents of Pothatturpettai in Tiruvallur district are in a state of panic. Even a slight fever alarms them. Two days ago, a 15-year-old boy from the Panchayat town succumbed to a ‘mystery’ fever at a government hospital in Chennai. Govindan, a resident of the town, says that the fear of dengue has been looming large among them. He says, “ There aren’t enough doctors and the one on duty prescribes medicines even without attending to the patient. The boy who passed away on Saturday was admitted there for a few days without proper treatment. Everyone is scared that they might be the next one to suffer from dengue.”

Nearly two weeks ago, two children from Kaverirajapuram in Tiruvalangadu fell ill and passed away while seeking treatment. Two more children from the village and Adi Andhrawada in the same block passed away in a similar fashion. However, authorities say there is no cause for alarm even as they reported 100 patients have been admitted. 

A source from the State Health Department, told DTNext that of the 100, about 10 were cases of dengue and leptospirosis. “The rest are cases of seasonal fever,” he said, adding that preventive measures are being taken everywhere, including Chennai. Dr K Kolandaswamy, Director, Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Tamil Nadu, said that the number of cases are tapering steadily. “While there are close to 35 new admissions every day, an equal number of people discharged are from the hospitals. Special teams are being deployed in both rural and urban areas.”