Diphtheria claims 2 more lives in city, toll rises to 24

New Delhi: Two more deaths due to diphtheria have been reported at Maharishi Valmiki Infectious Diseases Hospital in North Delhi, taking the death toll in the city to 24. The hospital at Kingsway Camp has already seen 22 fatalities due to the disease.

Five of the total 24 victims belong to Delhi and the rest are from other states, officials said. One more death earlier had been reported at the Delhi government-run LNJP Hospital.

“From September 6 onwards, there have been over 183 admissions at the municipal hospital, out of which 23 have died,” a senior official said. The diphtheria toxin causes a membrane of dead tissues to build up over the throat and tonsils, making breathing and swallowing difficult. The disease spreads through direct physical contact or from breathing in the aerosolised secretions from coughs or sneezes of infected individuals.

On Tuesday, mayor (North) Adesh Gupta suspended medical superintendent Sushil Kumar Gupta following the setting up of a panel a few days ago to look into the death cases.

“There were lapses, it seems. So we have taken the action. The final decision will depend on what comes out in the report,” he said.

Among the patients admitted in the hospital, 122 were from Uttar Pradesh, 11 from Haryana, and 14 from Delhi.

In an NDMC statement on September 20, the medical superintendent was quoted as saying that diphtheria cases occur only in this season and the number of cases is “not unusual.”