Chennai, August 19: A 27-year-old woman has died from dengue at a Sri Lankan Tamil rehabilitation camp near Kadayanallur in the Tenkasi district. This incident has heightened concerns over a prolonged outbreak of fever that has reportedly affected over 50 residents.
The deceased has been identified as Narmala, the wife of Dinesh, residing in the Boganallur camp of Kadayanallur. After being diagnosed with dengue, she was admitted to the Tirunelveli Government Medical College Hospital. Despite receiving treatment, she passed away on Tuesday.
Her death followed that of a 13-year-old girl from the same camp, Rihana Mary, daughter of Rajan and Saila Sri, who also succumbed to a mosquito-borne infection while being treated for dengue at the same hospital.
These two fatalities have sparked alarm among families living in the rehabilitation camp, where residents report that fever cases have persisted for nearly a month. More than 150 Sri Lankan Tamil refugee families have been residing in this camp for about 35 years.
In the past four weeks, over 50 individuals from the camp have experienced fever and sought treatment at local government and private hospitals.
In response to the dengue outbreak and the recent deaths, health and sanitation measures have been intensified in and around the camp. Health workers are monitoring residents, while local authorities are ramping up mosquito control and cleanliness campaigns to prevent further spread of the disease.
However, residents attribute the proliferation of mosquitoes to poor sanitation in the area. They claim that waste collected from nearby locations is regularly dumped close to the camp. Some of the accumulated garbage is reportedly being burned, exposing families to smoke and worsening the unhygienic conditions.
Residents have urged the district administration and local officials to promptly remove the waste, halt illegal dumping, and ensure ongoing cleanliness efforts. They also called for regular fogging, removal of stagnant water, and improved medical monitoring, especially for children and other vulnerable residents.
They appealed for continued fever screenings and timely treatment until the outbreak is under control. Maintaining cleanliness around the camp and implementing permanent measures to prevent further dengue cases and fatalities are deemed essential. They also requested a comprehensive assessment of mosquito breeding sources in the vicinity.
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