A pregnant woman hailing from Thiruvananthapuram died here of suspected dengue fever.
Five months into pregnancy, Shobha, 33, had joined her husband Sreejesh here four months ago. They were living in a rented house near the KSRTC bus station.
The latest is said to be the third suspected dengue death in the district so far. The number of suspected cases this year, according to public health data, is 1,056, while there were 374 confirmed cases till November 27.
Shobha was admitted to a private hospital with fever earlier, from where she was referred to Government Medical College, Ernakulam, where she was admitted on November 23. She was in the intensive care unit and was getting treated for apparent complications of the viral infection.
The woman’s body was taken to her native place. Her husband works at the PSC office canteen here.
The Health authorities are yet to confirm the case as dengue as other viral infection tests are also being looked into, said Dr. S. Sreedevi, Additional District Medical Officer. H1N1 infection could be fatal to pregnant women. As the virus is endemic in the region, test results are awaited for clarity on the cause for death, she added.
According to Dr. Sreedevi, the Health Department has taken up preventive measures, and mosquito breeding sources are being aggressively eliminated in all corporation divisions.
In as many as 10 divisions of the corporation, the mosquito index was found to be high. Measured in Breteau index, which is the ratio of the number of positive containers with mosquito larvae per 100 houses visited, there were areas where the index was 50 and above, pointing to an imminent epidemic. An index of over 25 is an alert for the Health Department to take preventive steps.
