Child patient with severe dengue still at IGMH intensive care

The child in critical condition from dengue fever is still in intensive care at the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital in capital city Malé, despite being recommended for treatment abroad.

Mohamed Jaleel, president of the local government council in the island to which the patient is native, said that the child is yet being kept in the Maldives due to ‘multiple reasons’.

The council revealed these reasons to be the mother’s lack of travel documents, and inability to yet acquire seats on a flight for the patient, his caregiver, the doctor, and two nurses, who are all required to travel together.

Jaleel said on Sunday that the child will be transferred abroad for further treatment as soon as possible.

The Feeali island of Faafu atoll is on alert after rapid spread of dengue fever there, and the atoll school on the island, where 200 students from all over the atoll are enrolled, has been closed this week.

The island council has arranged for stronger mosquito control measures to be taken, with routine insecticide spraying and cleaning of drains and ditches where they habitat.

Speaking to RaajjeMV on Monday morning, Jaleel said that the council has found the island's sanitation structure to have gone into despair and cleaning them have become a difficulty.

On Friday, Feeali reported that they have had 30 patients with flu-like symtomps and 10 of them, all children, tested positive for dengue.

The 10 patients were brought to capital city Malé and treated at the state-run hospital, with nine of them having been discharged. The Health Protection Agency has reported a spike in dengue cases, which they said in January has been controlled.