Sources from Thiruvananthapuram have stated that currently, dengue outbreak has killed at least 21 people in Kerala in the past three weeks, a government official said, adding that there was a shortage of medicines and health workers to tackle the crisis in the tourist hotspot.
According to available news from sources the mosquito borne dengue virus, which causes flu-like symptoms and can develop into the deadly hemorrhagic dengue fever, has infected more than 11,000 people in Kerala since May, forcing the state to buy new hospital beds and cancel medical staff leave.
Moreover, the experts say that stagnant water left behind after torrential rains were contributing to the spread of dengue. Authorities said they were trying to prevent breeding of mosquitoes by insecticide fogging, a common sight in cities including New Delhi notorious for open garbage dumps. A health professional at a hospital in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala said: "Patients are lying in hospital corridors and are availing treatment and the situation looks really bad".
