Rifat loses battle against dengue

Rifat Hossain, a schoolboy of Dhaka’s Mugda area, had desired to celebrate Eid at ancestral home in Cumilla but he lost battle for life at a hospital in Dhaka.

The 10-year old boy died of dengue fever during treatment at pediatric ward of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) around 12:30am today.

He was class III student of Mugda Bank Colony Swaralipi High School and used to live with his parents in the capital’s Mugda area.

Rifat was buried at the graveyard of his maternal grandfather in Laksam of Cumilla this evening, Khorshed Alam, father of Rifat, told The Daily Star.

Khorshed said his son desired to celebrate this Eid at the house of his maternal grandfather and was supposed to go Cumilla today.

With Rifat, 22 people died of dengue during treatment at the DMCH, according to the sources of hospital.

According to the family, Rifat fell sick after he returned home from his school on August 4.

On the following day, Rifat’s father took him to Mugda General Hospital for dengue test but could not as many people were waiting in a long queue there for the same test.

Later Rifat was diagnosed with dengue and admitted to the hospital on Wednesday (August 7). He was shifted to the DMCH on Thursday as his health condition deteriorated. 

Rifat felt pain in his stomach on Thursday night and later started bleeding from his nose.