27-year-old woman dies of organ failure, Pune hospital says dengue

Dr Sanjeev Wavare, assistant medical officer, PMC, said they had recorded five deaths suspected to be due to dengue and an audit committee will meet to confirm the same.

Wavare said from January to date, 2,656 suspected cases of dengue had been recorded and five suspected deaths. Of these, 388 cases were confirmed as positive and that in August alone, there were over 1,000 suspected cases of which 157 were confirmed as positive, Wavare added.

Dengue fever, an Aedes mosquito-borne viral disease can be fatal, leading to dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF) and dengue shock syndrome (DSS), but such cases are less common, doctors said.

Dr Prachee Sathe, director of the intensive care unit (ICU) at a well-known city hospital, said there was no specific anti-viral treatment for dengue. Complications could include drop in platelet count leading to bleeding or DHF.

“DSS is actually decreasing as we realise hydration is important for a dengue patient. If dehydration occurs, that itself is a predisposing factor for the patient to go into complications,” Dr Sathe said.

More patients from Baramati, Daund, Phaltan

According to Dr Rajesh Gadia, consulting physician at another city hospital, sporadic cases of dengue had been recorded from the city’s peth areas but several patients from the city’s outskirts and other areas were being admitted.

“In the last few weeks, we have admitted over 200 cases of patients from even villages near Baramati, Phaltan and Daund,” Dr Gadia said.

Some cases also have a unique presentation with changes in the heart or a cardiac involvement along with dengue fever, he added.