Majority of UP kid deaths due to dengue, scrub typhus: Centre

New Delhi, Sep 6 (IANS) The Centre on Monday said that a majority of children's deaths in Uttar Pradesh's Firozabad district occurred due to dengue, as well as scrub typhus, and leptospirosis.

In a letter to UP Chief Secretary Rajendra Kumar Tiwari, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said that the central team has found that majority of cases of viral fever and deaths among children in Firozabad were due to dengue, and a few cases were due to scrub typhus and leptospirosis.

He also stated that vector indices were also found to be high with both the house index and container index above 50 per cent in Firozabad.

A team of doctors from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and the National Vector-Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) were sent to probe the deaths of children in Firozabad.

The Central government, in the letter, has suggested some actions to control the dengue outbreak in the district.

Bhushan said that all fever patients should be screened for dengue, malaria, scrub typhus, and leptospirosis. He has also emphasised the need to strengthen ELISA-based testing facilities in the state.

The central team has recommended continuing activities related to fever survey, vector control, and fever camps as per the micro plan submitted by it.