Twins die of dengue in Egmore hospital

The twins, Dakshan and Deeksha of Madhavaram, had been reportedly suffering from fever for about a week. 

As the fever did not subside, they were admitted in the institute on Saturday.

After blood tests for dengue proved positive, the twins were shifted to a separate ward, though they succumbed. Their parents Santhosh Kumar, who worked in the Civil Supplies department, and Gajalakshmi were from Madhavaram in north Chennai.

Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan, in a statement, said with the two deaths, the number of dengue deaths in the State has risen to five. He urged parents, who have children suffering from fever, to get them treated in hospitals at the earliest.

Speaking to DT Next, Dr AT Arasar, director of the institute, said, “They were hospitalised on Saturday, after they had fever for five days. They had symptoms similar to dengue and we sent their blood samples for tests as we do for every child brought in with fever as per the WHO protocol. However, Dakshan and Deeksha succumbed at 1 am and 4 am. 

Had they been brought to the hospital earlier, we may have been able to do something.” He said one of the children suffered convulsions and the other had bleeding and added that the disease was widespread and many patients were from Madhavaram and outskirts of north Chennai.