Chennai: Boy died of fever, not dengue, says hospital
Residents say that they had raised complaints with the local body but they paid no heed until the boy died.
Chennai: While a post-mortem was not conducted on a boy who died at Rajiv Gandhi Government hospital, corporation workers carried out a postmortem in Urapakkam after rumours that he died of dengue emerged.
The boy, identified as a 16-year-old Vijay of Thiruvalluvar Nagar in Ayyanchery, Urapakkam, died after suffering intense respiratory complications and fever. He was a class 10 student of the government welfare school in Kilambakkam.
Vijay had been suffering from fever for a few days and was self-medicated with medicines brought from the local pharmacist. However, he was taken to Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) on October 24.
The boy was initially admitted for viral fever and respiratory problems and passed away since the condition worsened, the sources said, and that tests for dengue were negative. Since he died of a viral fever, a postmortem was not conducted, they said.
Meanwhile, Urapakkam local body workers along with health department workers rushed to Thiruvalluvar Nagar and began cleaning it as soon as they were informed of Vijay’s death.
Residents say that they had raised complaints with the local body but they paid no heed until the boy died. Had they cleaned this well earlier, the boy could have been saved, they said.
However, the workers deny having received any complaints. “We were only informed after his death, besides he did not die of dengue, it was only a viral fever,”they said.