At least 12,000 people in Firozabad are now bedridden with a viral fever that has the district in its grip, sources in the health department have revealed. With four more deaths in the last 24 hours, the toll on Sunday increased to 114, including 88 children.
A team of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) had identified a dengue outbreak in the district last week. The deaths have continued despite widespread fogging and door-to-door surveys to drain out stagnant water and to arrest the spread of vector-borne diseases.
On Sunday, government hospitals continued to scramble to arrange beds while treatment prices in private hospitals have sky-rocketed. Veer Pal, a resident of Bhim Nagar and a daily wager, lost his five-year-old son following lack of treatment for high fever on Sunday.
The father said that a private hospital in the city had demanded Rs 30,000 in advance to start treatment. “I requested them to start treatment and give me time to arrange money, but they refused. Later, I took my child to the Firozabad medical college where staff refused to admit my child as beds were not available. I arranged for a private taxi to take us to Agra, but my son died on the way,” Veer Pal said. No official complaint was made in the matter.
