11-year-old succumbs to dengue in Bengaluru
The Hindu
As the number of dengue cases increased, the State Government on June 3 capped the price of Dengue Elisa NS1 antigen and Dengue Elisa IgM antibody tests in private hospitals and diagnostic laboratories at ₹300. The price of rapid card screening test (NS1, IgM and IgG antibodies) was fixed at ₹250.
An 11-year-old boy, Gagan, succumbed to dengue virus in a private hospital in Bengaluru on July 5. This is the second dengue death reported in Bengaluru after cases began to surge.
Speaking to reporters on July 6, Tushar Giri Nath, Chief Civic Commissioner, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). confirmed the death. “In these cases, we get a report which says that cause of death is suspected to be dengue. After that, we run lab tests and then send the report to the Health Department. They check at their end before declaring the cause of death as dengue. Gagan’s death was due to dengue.”
He said that it is difficult to say what exactly led to the death of the boy before the audit report came out.
Earlier on June 28, Abhilash, a 27-year-old man from Kaggadasapura, had died due to dengue. The death of Gagan takes the toll in Karnataka due to dengue to seven.
As the number of dengue cases increased, the State Government on June 3 capped the price of Dengue Elisa NS1 antigen and Dengue Elisa IgM antibody tests in private hospitals and diagnostic laboratories at ₹300. The price of rapid card screening test (NS1, IgM and IgG antibodies) was fixed at ₹250.
Before that, private hospitals were charging anywhere between ₹750 and ₹1,500 for the tests.