Dengue clinical management training helps reduce morbidity

Rawalpindi: The Department of Infectious Diseases (DID) of Rawalpindi Medical University here at Holy Family Hospital has so far trained a total of 1483 medical professionals including 1105 doctors this year and according to the RMU administration, the initiative is serving a lot in reducing the morbidity and mortality associated with the dengue.

According to Vice Chancellor at RMU Professor Dr. Mohammad Umar (SI) (HI), more than 700 family physicians apart from over 400 doctors serving in public and private sectors have been trained through dengue clinical management program that has empowered the frontline doctors with updated skills on diagnosis, management and treatment of dengue fever patients.

He believes that the training would serve as a key to reducing impact of dengue fever outbreaks on our communities. The initiative would strengthen the healthcare system in the region and ensure safer, evidence-based care for patients, he said.

It is worth mentioning here that in almost all dengue fever outbreaks in the past, the heaviest burden of dengue fever patients was managed at the three teaching hospitals in town including Holy Family Hospital, Benazir Bhutto Hospital and Rawalpindi Teaching Hospital and the same is the case this year too.

Data collected by ‘The News’ on Saturday has revealed that to date, a total of 759 confirmed patients have been reported from Rawalpindi while the allied hospitals have so far received a total of 1437 confirmed dengue fever patients belonging to Rawalpindi, Islamabad and adjoining districts.

It is alarming that the allied hospitals had to admit well over 200 patients in the last 4 days, in last 24 hours, as many as 47 patients have tested positive for dengue at the HFH, BBH and RTH.

To date, not a single patient has died of the infection despite the fact that well over 650 patients have been diagnosed with DHF or DSS, the more fatal form of dengue fever, said Head of DID at HFH Professor Dr. Muhammad Mujeeb Khan while talking to ‘The News’. Dengue fever has been a persistent public health challenge in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, at least, for the past 15 years, and recognizing its significant burden, said Dr. Mujeeb.