Thaindian News

Hyderabad, Oct 25 (IANS) Dengue has claimed three lives in two districts of Andhra Pradesh Tuesday, spreading panic, even as the government claimed that the situation was under control.

Two people died in Warangal and one person died in Adilabad. According to unofficial reports, as many as 60 people have died of the vector-borne disease in the state since July.

However, the government has put the toll at a mere three.

Health Minister D.L. Ravindra Reddy told reporters that only three deaths were confirmed. He said 41 positive cases were reported in Warangal and 35 in Adilabad.

The minister said all steps were being taken to control dengue. The government was deputing a joint director in the health department to each district to monitor the efforts being made to control the disease.

The situation appears to be alarming in Warangal and Adilabad districts in Telangana region, if one goes by the reports of a large number of patients approaching hospitals with dengue symptoms like high fever, severe headache, muscle and joint pain.

Many patients from Adilabad were crossing over to neighbouring Maharashtra for treatment as the state-run Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in the town lacks basic facilities.

Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member V. Hanumantha Rao, who visited Adilabad, voiced concern over the situation.

Districts like Khammam and Karimnagar too have reported many dengue cases.

Health officials, however, are blaming private hospitals for creating a scare. According to them, medical practitioners are wrongly diagnosing the condition without conducting the ELISA test.

They point out that total number of dengue cases across the state since January this year is 600 while nearly 700 cases were reported last year.