Year’s first hantavirus death reported in city

The city recorded its first death due to hantavirus following the death of a 12-year-old boy from Colaba late on Friday night. The boy had to be taken to a hospital in Karnataka for treatment. Doctors confirmed the death due to the virus after receiving reports from the National Institute of Virology (NIV). The deceased was earlier treated at Bhatia Hospital in Grant Road. Hantavirus is transmitted to human beings through rodents.

The 12-year-old was first admitted with fever on September 29.

Tests for dengue, malaria and leptospirosis came negative; however bleeding from the patient’s lungs made doctors suspect that he was infected with the hantavirus. His blood samples were sent to NIV and SLR laboratories, which are the only ones that conduct the specific “IGM-Hanta” test for the virus. Test results confirmed that he was infected by the virus.

Dr Aditya Aggarwal, chest physician at the hospital, said, “This boy was suffering from unusual bleeding from his lungs. He was coughing and there was blood in his sputum. He had uncommon symptoms like high-grade fever. His platelets had dropped to 15,000 units from the normal count of over 2 lakh units. But in addition to these symptoms, he seemed to develop life-threatening complications within a week of contracting fever.”

BMC officials said they had taken adequate measures to curb further spread of the virus.

“We have started an active drive against rodents. This is a zoonotic disease (passed from animals to man),” said Dr Mini Kheterpal, chief of civic body’s epidemiology cell.