Dengue outbreak loses intensity, 31 cases in last seven days

Rawalpindi : The dengue fever outbreak in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi is losing intensity after a sharp fall in mercury as the number of patients being confirmed positive per day on average from Islamabad Capital Territory and Rawalpindi district has dropped down to below five in the last one week.

Data collected by ‘The News’ on Sunday has revealed that as many as 31 patients have been confirmed positive for dengue fever from the twin cities in the last week while in the last 24 hours, only six confirmed cases have been reported from ICT and Rawalpindi district showing that the dengue fever outbreak is getting closer to its seasonal end.

For the last month, the infection has not claimed any life from the twin cities though at least 14 deaths due to dengue fever had already been reported from ICT and Rawalpindi district this year. To date, a total of 10,145 patients have been confirmed positive for dengue fever from the twin cities this year.

It is important to mention here that before the beginning of November this year, well over 150 patients were being tested positive for dengue fever per day on average from this region of the country. Also, the three allied hospitals in Rawalpindi including Holy Family Hospital, Benazir Bhutto Hospital, and District Headquarters Hospital were receiving a heavy burden of dengue fever patients some five weeks back with the number of admitted dengue fever patients ranging from 170 to 280 in October has now dropped down to below 15. On Sunday, a total of 11 patients with the infection including suspected cases were undergoing treatment in dengue fever wards at the three teaching hospitals, and none of them was in critical condition.

In the last 24 hours, only three patients have tested positive from Rawalpindi district taking the tally to 4,753 of which a total of three patients have lost their lives due to the infection while another three patients have been reported from ICT taking the total number of dengue fever patients reported from the federal capital this year to 5,392 of which 11 patient have died of dengue fever.

The number of dengue fever patients in the region is continuously on the decline and according to many health experts, there would only be sporadic cases of the infection after a week or so. Experts, however, say that indoor surveillance, at the time, is critical to avoid the incidence of dengue fever as the temperature inside homes may be suitable for the growth and survival of mosquitoes ‘aedes aegypti’, the vector that causes dengue fever.