FOURFOLD INCREASE - 154 cases of dengue as of October 4 compared to 35 last year

6 October, 2009 - Dengue fever has claimed his first victim of the year, a 47-year-old soldier in Phuentsholing, who died on October 4.

The soldier was diagnosed with the fever on September 30, according to Phuentsholing doctors. After several blood tests and fever checks, he was told to stay in the hospital ward, from October 3, for further examination, but the doctors said the soldier, after putting up for a night, had left for home the next morning.

“Along with his wife, he had left for home at 3:00 a.m. to perform puja and they even tried traditional practices like sucking out (supposed) poison from his body,” said hospital sister, Kamal. “Later in the afternoon they came back, but he was already in his last stage.”

Doctors say that a dengue fever patient has to be monitored very closely and attempts made to control the fever within 25 hours. “If the fever isn’t controlled within 25 hours, it can be very risky,” said the malaria supervisor in Phuentsholing hospital, Dr Wangchuk.

There were 32 dengue cases in August in Phuentsholing. By October 4, that number had shot up to 154 cases, with one death, recording an increase of 122 cases in just over a month. There were 35 dengue cases last year.

Meanwhile, a Phuentsholing dengue fever patient has been referred to Thimphu referral hospital, after doctors there failed to control his bleeding, a case of an advanced dengue fever stage.