Dengue, COVID cases at LRH

Consultant Paediatrician, at the Lady Ridgeway Children’s Hospital (LRH), in Colombo, Dr. Deepal Perera, said that the number of children, afflicted with dengue and COVID-19, was increasing.Dr. Perera said that the hospital administration had decided to carry out random testing due to fears that there might be COVID and dengue patients among children, being treated for other illnesses.

Dr. Perera told the media that 25 dengue-positive cases had been found by Thursday evening. Among them were eight with dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF), he said. There are 11 children being treated for COVID-19. Out of them two are at the hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU).

“These cases were found after random testing of patients. If we checked all patients, the number would have been more,” Dr. Perera said.

He urged the people to clean their homes, offices, school premises and surroundings. He also advised to follow basic health guidelines again to prevent children getting infected with COVID-19 virus.

“Dengue is on the rise. So is COVID. People forgot about dengue in the last few years because of COVID. However, dengue is on the rise again and dengue is a very serious disease,” he said.

Dr. Perera also said that if anyone has a fever that has not subsided after three days, they should get tested.

There is a shortage of 60 essential medicines at the Lady Ridgeway Hospital, deputy hospital director Santhushitha Senapathi said.

These shortages are having a serious negative impact on conducting surgeries and general treatment of patients at the LRH, Dr. Senapathi said.

The deputy hospital director said that there is a drop in donations by philanthropists.The LRH has informed the ministry of health that they might even have to cancel scheduled surgeries, if the medicine shortages are not addressed.