Dengue claims another victim

A 62 year-old man died of dengue fever tonight, increasing the total of patients died of the epidemic to 9. Previously, seven children and one adult had died in the fever that has spread in most parts of the country, and has caused panic such as has not seen in years. Mohamed Waheed, who died tonight, was from G. Dh. Madaveli, and he died while under treatment at the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH).

The special Task Force created by the President to counter dengue reported on the basis of information provided by IGMH that Waheed had been admitted at the hospital since the 25th of last month. According to the hospital, the man died of another illness, though he was under treatment for dengue. “He was diagnosed with dengue, and being treated for it. But the hospital said that he died of another disease”, said an official speaking on behalf of the Task Force.

However, Shiham Mohamed Waheed, son of the victim and Assistant C.E.O. of VTV said tonight that despite the claim of the Task Force, his father had been admitted for dengue and that no treatment had been given to him for any other disease. “It happened before my eyes. My father died while under treatment for dengue, when he suffered from hemorrhaging. He did not suffer from any other disease", said Shiham.

Meanwhile, the special Task Force created by the President to fight against the epidemic killer-fever has reported that if the situation did not get worse, the Task Force would narrow down the scope of their operations and give an upper hand to the Ministry of Health.

Dengue is a deadly fever caused by an arthropod-borne virus carried by Aedes egypti mosquitoes, whose bite transmits the virus to humans, and the disease becomes common in the Maldives every year, during and immediately after the rainy season in June/July. However, the fever had not caused so serious a situation in recent years. Many have blamed the weak management of the health sector by the government for the outbreak which has already claimed nine lives and still seems to be far from being under control.