The health department on Monday said no one has died of dengue in Bihar this season.

The Telegraph had reported that Ford Hospital anaesthetist Dr Vijay Kumar died on Saturday of suspected dengue as did district programme officer of Integrated Child Development Services, Sangeeta Kumari, at Ruban Memorial Hospital, Patliputra, on Sunday. Health minister Mangal Pandey, principal secretary Sanjay Kumar and state programme officer for vector-borne diseases M.P. Sharma on Monday clarified that so far, no dengue death has been confirmed in Bihar.

Sharma said the health department has confirmed Dr Kumar had died of tuberculosis. “His platelet count was 70,000 on October 12, a day before his death which is why it is unlikely that he was suffering from dengue. Earlier it was being claimed that his platelet count had dropped to 7,000. The patient’s medical report further stated that he was suffering from fever with thrombocytosis, septic shock and multiple organ failure,” said Sharma at the news meet. He added that Sangeeta’s samples had been collected.

Sharma said as prevention, the department has provided Patna Municipal Corporation 85kg malathion (chemical with which fogging is conducted).

Sanjay said dwindling cases of dengue this season show that the health department’s measures are effective.

“From January 1, 2017 to October 13, 2017, 768 dengue cases had been reported in Bihar, of which 480 were from Patna. In the same period this year, 374 cases have been reported of which 264 are in Patna,” said Sanjay.

Dengue fight

Mangal Pandey met MLAs on Monday to figure out dengue-prone areas and added that a strategy will be chalked out to fight the disease. “MLAs work at the ground level, so we will use their knowledge,” he said.

New course

A diploma course in College of Physicians and Surgeons and diplomate of national board will be started in Saharsa, Purnea and Nalanda district hospitals. The courses will be in anaesthesiology, childcare, obstetrics and gynaecology and bacteriology (to pathology).