Kolkata: 56-year-old Haridevpur woman dies of dengue

KOLKATA: A 56-year-old woman from south Kolkata died of dengue at a private hospital early on Sunday, taking the toll to four in the city this season. Krishna Ganguly, the victim, was a resident of Banerjee Para Road in Haridevpur and had been admitted to the hospital in a state of dengue shock with acute respiratory distress syndrome, viral myocarditis and multi-organ dysfunction syndrome on Saturday. She died at the ICU at 5am on Sunday.
According to Peerless Hospital, where she had been admitted, the woman had been shifted from a hospital on Saturday evening in a very serious condition. "She was already on ventilation there and was immediately put on ventilation again when she arrived at our hospital. Even though her platelet count was not very low, all other parameters were poor. The virus had affected her heart leading to myocarditis and lungs that caused respiratory distress. She also suffered a multi-organ failure, that had set in when she was admitted," said Peerless Hospital CEO Sudipta Mitra.
The victim had been suffering from fever since last Monday and was admitted to RSV Hospital in Tollygunge on the same day after she tested positive to dengue. Her son, too, had tested positive for dengue but has recovered. This is the second dengue death at ward number 115, where the woman lived, in less than a fortnight.
Neighbours alleged that the area was unclean and water has accumulated at various places acting as breeding grounds for mosquito larvae. They said that a nearby pond was also serving as a major mosquito-breeding ground. "Many in the area are suffering from dengue and no measure has so far been taken to prevent the spread," a resident said.
Two dengue deaths were ported in Kolkata last Friday, including a 28-year-old girl, a resident of Tollygunge, who died at a private hospital in Behala. The other death was reported from the Garfa area. While the first victim was admitted at Narayan Memorial Hospital in Behala on Wednesday with high fever and rashes and died on Friday, the other died at Ruby General Hospital on Thursday.
More than 5,000 have been afflicted with dengue in Bengal over the last three weeks. The total number of affected in the state has touched 10,000, according to the state health department. The number of affected in Kolkata has crossed 700.
The worst dengue-affected areas in the city include Chetla, Kalighat, Alipore, Behala, Haridevpur, Kudghat, Bagha Jatin, Santoshpur, Jadavpur, Garfa and Kasba. Dozens are being affected in these areas every day.
Institute of Post-Graduate Medical Education & Research (IPGMER) professor Diptendra Sarkar said he had expected a far better response and more precautions against dengue this year.