A 13-year-old boy Rizwan died of viral fever at the Institute of Child Health, Egmore, even as his six-year-old sister tested positive for dengue.
Rizwan, a resident of SSV Koil Street in Perambur, developed fever last Sunday, his uncle Thameem Ansari said. He was taken to the government hospital at Madhavaram Milk Colony on Monday morning.
“He was treated for two days at the hospital and since the fever did not subside, hospital authorities referred us to the ICH on Tuesday. They did not do any tests at Madhavaram or at the ICH,” Mr. Ansari said.
Meanwhile, his sister, along with another girl, their relative, who also fell sick, were admitted to the ICH. “On Saturday, they confirmed dengue for his sister,” he said. But the family shifted the two girls from the ICH after the boy died in the early hours of Sunday.
“When Rizwan died, the hospital in his death certificate said that he died of fever,” Mr. Ansari added.
“Our test results have come negative for dengue. It was a viral infection that mimicked dengue. The child was obese, weighing 65 kg. The child also suffered from bleeding, that normally occurs in dengue and the child went in for a cardiac shock. We started treating the child for shock and when he did not respond, we did an echo and found that he suffered from myocardial dysfunction,” A.T. Arasar, director, ICH, said.
Meanwhile, Mr. Ansari said Corporation officials removed garbage and sprayed bleaching powder in their neighbourhood after the boy’s death.
