Dengue incidence taking shape of outbreak in Pindi

Rawalpindi:The incidence of dengue fever is continuously on the rise in Rawalpindi district for the last 10 days or so taking shape of an outbreak while in the last 48 hours, as many as 47 more patients have tested positive for dengue fever taking the total number of confirmed cases of the infection this year to 236 from the district.

Data collected by ‘The News’ on Thursday has revealed that in the last 24 hours, as many as 23 patients have been confirmed positive for dengue fever from Rawalpindi district while on Tuesday, 24 patients were tested positive for the infection from the district.

It is important that till September 3 this year, the total number of patients tested positive for dengue fever from the district was 97 and the situation at that time could not be termed as an outbreak because a total of 65 patients were reported positive from the district in the previous one month at an average of slightly over two patients per day.

The trend, however, has changed in the last one week in the region and the incidence of the infection has started taking the shape of an outbreak. In the last one week, according to data collected by ‘The News’, well over 130 patients have tested positive for dengue fever from Rawalpindi district recording an average of over 18 patients per day.

Of 47 patients tested positive from Rawalpindi district in the last 48 hours, as many as 29 have been reported from Potohar Town, which is being considered as the worst hit area in the district.

The district health authority has established two mobile health units on the directives of Deputy Commissioner Rawalpindi, one in Chak Jalal Din and the other in Gulistan Colony to facilitate dengue fever patients. The health authority is providing the facilities of free medical checkup, laboratory tests and medicines at the mobile health units.

On the other hand, a total of around 140 patients have so far been confirmed positive for dengue fever from Islamabad Capital Territory of which 57 have been reported in the previous week, from September 2 to 8. The number of confirmed dengue fever cases being reported from the federal capital is also on a continuous rise hinting towards an outbreak in the coming days. Data collected by ‘The News’ has revealed that out of a total of 140 patients from Islamabad, well over 80 have been reported in the last 10 days.