Dengue fever outbreak claims another life

Rawalpindi: The dengue fever outbreak that has hit population in scattered areas in this region of the country this year has started losing its intensity after the fall in mercury particularly within last two weeks.

The infection, however, claimed another life here at Holy Family Hospital last week taking the total number of deaths so far caused by dengue fever at the allied hospitals to two. Earlier the infection claimed a life at District Headquarters Hospital in town.

Data collected by ‘The News’ on Saturday has revealed that the three teaching hospitals in town including HFH, Benazir Bhutto Hospital and District Headquarters Hospital have received only 23 confirmed cases of dengue fever within last nine days that makes less than four patients per day on average whereas the allied hospitals were receiving 10 to 15 patients per day on average for the last two weeks.

To date, the three teaching hospitals have tested as many as 704 patients positive for the infection while within last 24 hours, the allied hospitals received only four confirmed patients of dengue fever.

The allied hospitals admitted as many as 18 new cases including probable cases of the infection in last 24 hours however on Saturday morning, 17 patients including eight confirmed patients of dengue fever were undergoing treatment at the three hospitals.

The HFH tested only two cases positive for the infection in last 24 hours that took the total number of positive cases so far registered with the HFH to 591. Presently, only five patients including one confirmed patient of the infection are undergoing treatment at the HFH.

As many as two patients have been tested positive for dengue fever at BBH in last 24 hours taking the total number of confirmed patients registered with the BBH to 18. On Saturday, a total of eight patients of dengue fever including three confirmed ones were undergoing treatment at the BBH.

The DHQ Hospital, however, tested two patients positive for the infection in last 24 hours that took the total number of patients confirmed positive at the DHQ Hospital to 95. On Saturday, four patients, all confirmed for the infection were undergoing treatment at the DHQ Hospital.

It is important that the number of patients of dengue fever in town is continuously on the decline and according to health experts at the allied hospitals, there would only be endemic cases of the infection from the region after one week or so.

Head of Department of Infection Diseases at HFH Dr. Muhammad Mujeeb Khan, however, said that people must be careful as at the time, indoor surveillance is critical to avoid incidence of dengue fever because temperature inside homes and offices may remain suitable for activity of mosquitoes ‘aedes aegypti’, the vector that causes dengue fever for another one month.