A nine-year-old boy died from dengue fever on Tuesday.
Hassan Haisam Hussain, from Haa Dhaalu Kulhudhuffushi island, passed away while undergoing treatment for dengue at the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital in Malé.
He was first treated at the Kulhudhuffushi Regional Hospital and travelled to the capital on early Tuesday morning, a resident of the northern island told the Maldives Independent.
According to community news website KulhudhuffushiOnline, Haisam had been admitted at the regional hospital since Sunday and his condition worsened on Monday night around 7pm.
He was flown to the capital on emergency evacuation on an early Tuesday morning flight from Hanimaadhoo International Airport, a person close to his family told KO. The boy died two hours after being admitted to IGMH.
It was the first fatality from dengue this year.
According to the Health Protection Agency, dengue cases have been gradually declining since May after a sharp increase in the first four months of this year.
Some 3,097 cases have been reported so far this year, according to statistics published on Tuesday.
In June and July, some 175 cases were reported in the capital’ and its suburbs Vilimalé and Hulhumalé. Hospitals and health centers in Dhaalu atoll and Haa Dhaalu atoll reported the most cases outside Male – 85 and 79 respectively.
There were 2,746 dengue cases reported during the first half of 2019, an increase from last year’s 1,545 cases during the same period.
In April, the authorities launched a nationwide vector control programme after the number of cases from January to March increased significantly compared to the last three years.
The campaign included fogging, treatment programmes, surveillance of cases, raising public awareness, and eliminating mosquito breeding sites.
Recommended precautionary measures include being cautious of mosquitos during dawn and sunset hours, elimination of stagnant water and breeding sites, using mosquito lotion, ensuring good hygiene during food preparations, disposing of food safely and avoiding non-essential visits to hospitals.
Symptoms of dengue include aches and small red pimples on the skin.
Several people died in 2016 because of dengue, including a seven-month old boy and a 61-year-old woman.
