Dengue assumes alarming proportions in Odisha; 852 test positive

Odisha Sun Times Bureau Cuttack, Sept 5: The outbreak of the deadly dengue in Odisha has assumed alarming proportions.

Reports from the department of Microbiology in the SCB Medical College and Hospital here said out of 3750 patients, 688 have been found dengue positive during the sample blood test. Of the852 dengue patients, as many as 371 belong to Jajpur district.

Hospital sources said that 210 patients were admitted to the dengue ward on Thursday which is an all-time record for a single day.

As the 130-bedded ward has been overcrowded, 80 patients are being treated on the floor, the sources added.

Meanwhile, Ugrasena Palai, a patient of Tamka area of Jajpur district, who was admitted to the dengue ward five days ago, died in the ICU ward of the hospital on Thursday.

More than half the patients in the ICU are dengue patients.

A team of senior health officials including Director, Medical Education and Training (DMET) Sunamani Bag, chief district medical officer (CDMO) Prafulla Behera and District Malaria officer visited the hospital on Thursday and reviewed the situation at a meeting.

Prof CBK Mohanty, head, department of Medicine, demanded more doctors and para-medical staff for the treatment of dengue patients as their numbers have been rising everyday.

Considering the admission of more patients, the meeting decided to open a special dengue ward in the hospital. Taking stock of the shortage of blood components for dengue patients, the blood bank officials were asked to prepare more blood components for the dengue patients.

Senior doctors in charge of the microbiology department demanded a new ELISA (Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay) machine and ELISA Reader to conduct more sample blood tests and more laboratory assistants.

Considering the demand, the meeting decided to provide an ELISA machine of the Blood Bank to the Microbiology department on an emergency basis.