Situation in Firozabad District in India's Uttar Pradesh Turns Grim Amid Surge in Dengue Cases

Hundreds of people are being treated for the disease at the local Autonomous State Medical College (ASMC), while nearly all private hospitals are full of patients.

Dengue and viral fever cases continue to wreak havoc in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, particularly in the Firozabad district.

A Sputnik correspondent visited the Autonomous State Medical College (ASMC) in Firozabad district on Wednesday and witnessed a rush of patients in the hospital, mostly children accompanied by family members.

Parents with their children at Firozabad Medical College and Hospital

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The grim situation is reminiscent of the second wave of the pandemic as seen earlier this year, when people flooded local hospitals, while officials at the ASMC have found it hard to manage the crowds, appealing to parents to stand in a queue.

But all the parents were eager to have their own ailing kids attended to by doctors before others.

Talking about the situation, Dr Tuhin Vashishth, vice-principal of the Autonomous State Medical College and Head of the Anaesthesia Department, told Sputnik that there were cases of not only “dengue fever but there are patients with symptoms of viral fever too”.

He said that there are new mutations of viral fever that lead to a surge in such cases every two to three years.

“Out of all, around 50-60 percent of cases are of dengue fever. However, it is not only in Firozabad, the situation is quite similar in other districts and cities. Cases of dengue fever have been detected in Agra, Mathura, Prayagraj, Noida, Kanpur and other places too. Doctors are working hard to control the situation", Dr Vashishth added.

He also shared that in view of the prevailing situation, they have upgraded the 100-bed facility at the medical college and hospital to a 600-bed one. “We are treating all the patients while the private hospitals are attending only those with mild symptoms and referring the critical patients here.”

Asked about the total number of patients currently hospitalised, he said as of now there are around 470 children.

“Earlier around 200 patients were being admitted every day. But now the number has declined to 150, while almost 130 patients are being discharged on a daily basis”, he stated.

Patients Lined Up at Firozabad Medical College and Hospital to take the reports of their children admitted due to fever

© Sputnik

Speaking about the death toll, Dr Vashishth shared that so far there have been 60-65 deaths in Firozabad.

Contradicting the claims of Dr Vashishth, a person working in the Firozabad government hospital told Sputnik on condition of anonymity that doctors are making statements that are being told to them by the authorities.

“Neither the doctors nor the authorities are revealing the correct information about the deaths of the children. If a detailed study is being conducted, you will find that over 800 children have died so far in the district due to fever”, the worker said.

He said that the government may have declared that it is dengue, but in reality the exact cause of the deaths is yet to be determined.

He even claimed that there is a shortage of medicine in the hospital and tests for dengue fever are not being conducted.

Parents with their kids being treated at clinic of Dr. Rajkumar Gupta at his clinic in Firozabad

© Sputnik

A few other people whose children were admitted at the hospital echoed the same, claiming that five to six children are dying every day and it is difficult to believe the numbers of 60-65 deaths.

Sputnik talked to a father, whose seven-year-old boy had to be hospitalised after he developed fever, abdominal pain, nausea, body pain, and started vomiting.

Requesting anonymity, he shared that although his child was admitted and tests were being conducted on a regular basis, the doctors are not taking any measures despite the low blood platelet count.

“The doctors are saying that till the blood platelet is not below 25,000 we will not allow platelet transfusion. I am unable to understand what they are waiting for”, the emotional father stated.

Sputnik met Dr Rajkumar Gupta, a general physician and paediatrician who runs a private clinic in the Agra Gate area of the district. He described the situation in Firozabad as "grim".

"All private hospitals are running out of beds. Even I am coming across 20-30 patients on a daily basis at my clinic. Most of the patients are suffering from viral fever”, he said.

As per local media reports, more than 200 people in the state and over 150 people in Firozabad district have succumbed to dengue fever. Out of all those who have died due to dengue, most of them are children.

Apart from Firozabad, several other districts in Uttar Pradesh, including Agra, Prayagraj, Mathura, Meerut, and Mainpuri, have also witnessed several reports of people afflicted by dengue fever.