The death of I. Alagu Meena (8) from Mooduvarpatti near Alanganallur allegedly due to dengue on Monday and the high number of fever cases getting reported there and nearby Athanur and Saranthangi have revealed the inefficiencies of district administration and the health department in handling dengue and other fever cases.
While the health department has officially said that the girl died due to ‘high-grade fever’, a few senior officials confirmed to The Hindu on anonymity that it was a case of dengue. The Hindu also saw lab reports of at least four people from Mooduvarpatti, including a report from a government hospital, showing that they underwent treatment for dengue recently.
N. Rajesh, a villager, said that around eight people, including two children, were referred to Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH) by health officials who visited the village on Monday.
When The Hindu visited Mooduvarpatti on Tuesday, it was evident from the slew of activities happening there, including screening camps to check for fever, fogging and clean-up activities, that the district administration had swung into action.
However, the villagers pointed out that the girl’s life could have been saved and the fever cases could have been kept under control, if the administration had intervened earlier.
According to S. Saravanan, a college student, who himself underwent treatment for dengue in a private hospital in Alanganallur, said that the outbreak of fever began in the village 10 days before.
“Most of us went to the local Primary Health Centre (PHC) first, where we were given some tablets. As the fever did not subside, I approached the private hospital,” he said.
“When the PHC clearly witnessed increasing number of fever cases, why senior officials were not alerted immediately and screening camps, awareness campaigns and other activities were arranged,” he asked.
“For instance, since we get drinking water once in a few days owing to drought, we store water for many days. Now, officials say it may increase mosquito breeding. An awareness campaign earlier could have helped,” E. Divya, a resident, said.
Acknowledging the lacunae in action, a senior official from health department, speaking on anonymity, pointed out that the only doctor in the PHC was sent on a three-day training last week.
“The doctor deputed on his behalf did not grasp the gravity and the situation worsened,” he said.
Stating that the girl could have been saved if she was taken directly to GRH instead of a private hospital in Alanganallur, the official alleged that the parents insisted on taking her to the private hospital despite the advice of those at the PHC.
“The hospital should also be blamed since such private hospitals in smaller towns, which lacked the expertise and facilities, should refuse to take up such cases and instead refer them to tertiary care centres,” he said.
