Indore (Madhya Pradesh): A 13-year-old boy reportedly succumbed to the deadly dengue on Wednesday night, highlighting the increasing number of mosquito-borne disease in the city. Atharv Mittal, a Shyam Nagar resident and son of a businessman, died during treatment at a private hospital.
Atharv was declared dengue positive through private lab tests but the health department remained unaware of the case and claimed that they were not informed by the hospital. This marks the second dengue-related fatality this year, following the death of a 15-year-old boy in September.
Meanwhile, Atharv’s family alleged medical negligence, claiming delays in treatment worsened his condition. His mother, Meenu, said that he fell ill on December 7 with throat pain. Despite initial care and admission to a private medical college, his platelet count plummeted from 40,000 to 13,000. He was later referred to DNS Hospital, where he was placed on a ventilator but failed to recover. Meanwhile, the private medical college authorities claimed that Atharv was brought in a critical condition, with his dengue-positive status confirmed.
District malaria officer Dr Daulat Patel stated no dengue patients had been reported since November 20. So far this year, 550 dengue cases have been officially recorded, including 327 men and 223 women, alongside seven malaria and 20 chikungunya cases. However, underreporting remains a concern as private labs and hospitals often fail to share data with the health department.
