Population at greater risk of facing dengue fever outbreak

36 patients tested positive in the region before the start of dengue transmission’s peak season

Rawalpindi

As many as 36 patients have already been tested positive for dengue fever in public sector hospitals of the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi while the peak season for transmission of the infection in the region has yet to be set in.

Data collected by ‘The News’ on Saturday reveals that to date, a total of 17 patients have been tested positive for dengue fever at Holy Family Hospital, 12 at Benazir Bhutto Hospital and two at District Headquarters Hospital in town while five patients were tested positive for the infection in hospitals in the federal capital.

Majority of the dengue fever patients are residents of Rawalpindi or Islamabad and only a few were reported from outside the region. Almost all of the patients confirmed positive for dengue fever were reported in last two-and-a-half months hinting that the population in the region may face a severe outbreak of the infection in its peak season, from August to October.

It is worth mentioning here that every year, the first cases of dengue fever in this region of the country appear by the end of July or in the middle of August while sporadic cases, reported before August do not cross the figure of 10 generally.

Usually, ‘aedes aegypti’, the mosquito that causes dengue fever lay the first eggs of the year at the beginning of May and the mosquito density is maximal in early July, late August and early September while the egg laying activity remains until November though the larval density reaches to its peak in September.

Many health experts believe that appearance of greater number of confirmed patients of dengue fever from the region before the setting in of its peak season is alarming as the incidence of infection in a number of areas including rural areas of the federal capital proves the very existence of dengue fever vector in the environment.

The situation is under control at the moment but in coming days, the situation may get worse if proper preventive measures are not taken well in time by the health department and individuals, said a top official at the allied hospitals pleading anonymity.

He added that the allied hospitals have already started receiving greater number of dengue fever suspects however the cases so far confirmed positive were sporadic in nature and from scattered areas of the region.

Assistant District Health Officer at Islamabad Capital Territory Dr Muhammad Najeeb Durrani who is an epidemiologist told ‘The News’ on Saturday that one of the five cases so far tested positive in Islamabad is from Swat while the rest four belong to the rural areas.

To a query, he reiterated that the risk of incidence and spread of dengue fever looms large in the region and control on the situation needs greater attention. The population of ‘aedes aegypti’ fluctuates with temperature, rainfall and humidity. Dengue infections are generally reported during or after rain, as an outcome of rise in vector population, he said.

The optimal temperature for ‘aedes aegypti’ larvae is 28 degree centigrade and above this the rate of development is high and below 18 degree centigrade, the growth gets prolonged. Above 36 degree centigrade, the larval development is not complete. Extreme hot and dry weather may kill most of the eggs but in humid weather like the existing one, the population increases rapidly, he explained.

According to Dr. Durrani, it is time to take preventive measures more seriously to avoid breeding and growth of mosquitoes as the population of ‘aedes aegypti’ is high in rainy season and the conditions in monsoon in the region become much favorable for mosquitoes to grow.