Dengue Outbreak Worsens in Bihar: 128 New Cases, One Death Reported in Patna

Patna: Bihar is grappling with a rapidly escalating dengue outbreak, with 128 new cases reported in the past 24 hours. One patient succumbed to the disease late Friday night at Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH), raising the total death toll to nine across the state.

Patna has emerged as a dengue hotspot, with 59 new cases confirmed in the capital alone. So far this season, 1,535 cases have been recorded in Bihar, with Patna accounting for 710 of them.

In response to the growing crisis, a four-member team from the National Center for Vector Borne Disease Control (NCVBDC) visited Patna to investigate high-risk areas. On Friday, they inspected key locations, including Patna Junction, Rajendra Nagar, Gulzarbagh, and Patna Sahib station premises.

Larvae were discovered near the fountain on the Karbighiya side and at Rajendra Nagar station. The team, along with the Municipal Corporation’s fogging and larvicidal units, immediately conducted fogging in these areas to control the mosquito population.

With dengue cases on the rise, the Bihar Health Department is on high alert. The department has ordered all hospitals to reserve 30 beds for dengue patients. District hospitals have been instructed to reserve five beds each, while Primary Health Centers (PHCs) and Community Health Centers (CHCs) have been told to allocate two beds each for dengue treatment.

The latest victim of the dengue outbreak is Rahul Chaudhary (33), a resident of Jamui, who passed away at PMCH due to internal bleeding late on Friday night. This tragic death follows several other fatalities, including:

• Khushboo Kumari (17) from Bhagalpur, who died on September 7 after being admitted to PMCH with a rapid decline in her platelet count.
• Sanjeet Kumar (17) from Patna, who died on September 7 due to internal bleeding, just a day after being admitted to PMCH.
• Ram Laxman Das, a health worker from Samastipur, died after battling dengue for several days. He was transferred to Medanta, Patna, but succumbed to internal bleeding.
• Poonam Sinha (57) from Gardanibagh, Patna, passed away on August 31 after her platelet count rapidly decreased. She had been admitted to PMCH’s emergency ICU.
• Ashok Giri (40) from Jehanabad died on August 31 after being admitted to PMCH with internal bleeding on August 25.
• Aryan (16) from Naubatpur, who had both dengue and jaundice, died at NMCH on August 29 after his platelet count plummeted within four days of hospitalization.