Dengue fever has claimed the lives of two siblings of the Panchalipuram locality in Chittoor town in a gap of twenty days.
Even as the locality is currently reeling under the fever, with more than a dozen of patients being admitted to various hospitals, the residents deplore that their pleas to the Medical and Health officials to organise a medical camp there have gone unheard.
Madan Kumar, 9, the elder son of Ramachandra and Chitra – both are daily wagers– died of dengue while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Tirupati on September 16. His parents alleged that they had lost their son to the apathy of the local health officials as Madan was referred to the Tirupati hospital only in the nick of time.
But, it was not the end of the misery for them as their younger son Gowtham (7) also developed dengue symptoms within the next fortnight. They admitted him to the Government Hospital at Chittoor a few days ago. “This time too, the hospital staff had misled us saying that the boy was alright. But, his condition worsened and we took him to the Christian Medical College Hospital in Vellore,” said Mr. Ramachandra. Gowtham died in that hospital on Tuesday night.
A pall of gloom descended on the dengue-hit locality when Gowtham’s body was brought there from Vellore on Wednesday.
An emergency medical team will be deputed to Panchalipuram at the earliest
- K. Koteswari,Chittoor DM&HO
