Aam Aadmi Party's Satyendra Jain misbehaves with media when questioned over chikungunya outbreak

Delhi: Delhi's Health Minister Satyendra Jain on Tuesday misbehaved with the media and accused them of spreading panic regarding chikungunya.

Addressing the press in the national capital, he said, "There has never been any death due to chikungunya in the world. This is media created panic. Please don't spread panic."

"There is no outbreak (of chikungunya). It has been created by you (media) by spreading panic," he reiterated.

"Prove it medically (death due to chikungunya), medically chikungunya can never be cause of anyone's death," Jain added.

Chikungunya is taking its toll in Delhi, with at least four deaths due to the vector-borne disease reported in the last two days in the national capital where its number of cases have crossed over 1,000 this season.

Of the three fatalities recorded today, two of them took place at the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital yesterday while a 22-year-old girl succumbed to the disease on September 1 at Hindu Rao Hospital, officials said.

65-year-old Ramendra Pandey yesterday had also died of chikungunya at the same hospital, in what could be the first such death in the national capital.

Dr BS Rana, chairman, Board of Management of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, said all the three deaths which took place yesterday, the victims were above 60 years, as per Ganga Ram Hospital, said all the three deaths which took place yesterday, the victims were above 60 years, as per PTI.

Doctors say that chikungunya is not a life-threatening disease in general, but in rare cases leads to complications that prove fatal, especially in children and old persons.

According to a municipal report released yesterday, at least 1,057 cases of this vector-borne disease have been recorded till September 10, however, hospitals in the city altogether are reporting much higher number.

Lalit Dar of Department of Microbiology at AIIMS said, "At our laboratories, 1,360 chikungunya blood test samples have tested positive till September 11. Cases are rising and more and more people are getting affected." 

(With Agency inputs)