Islamabad hospitals admit 19 confirmed dengue patients

Islamabad :As many as 19 confirmed patients of dengue fever have been admitted at the public sector hospitals in the federal capital for treatment in last one week however majority of these patients are not residents of Islamabad.

Data collected by ‘The News’ on Tuesday has revealed that so far, a total of 13 patients confirmed positive for dengue fever have been reported from Islamabad of which eight patients are undergoing treatment at the three allied hospitals in Rawalpindi while five in Islamabad hospitals.

The appearance of dengue fever cases from the federal capital at the time when the peak season for transmission of dengue fever in this region of the country has almost set in is alarming however Islamabad Capital Territory Health Department is terming the cases sporadic in nature as the cases are being reported from scattered areas of the capital.

To date, hospitals in federal capital have admitted a total of 19 patients of which 14 are residents of other districts including Rawalpindi, Peshawar and Sialkot, said Additional District Health Officer at ICT Health Department Dr. Muhammad Najeeb Durrani while talking to ‘The News’ on Tuesday.

He said as many as three patients belonging to Rawalpindi have been undergoing treatment at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences Islamabad that has admitted a total of eight confirmed patients of the infection so far while four patients have been tested positive at Federal Government Services Hospital (Poly Clinic) hospital so far.

He added that as many as eight confirmed patients of dengue fever who are residents of Islamabad rural areas are undergoing treatment at the allied hospitals in Rawalpindi including three patients at Benazir Bhutto Hospital, two at Holy Family Hospital and three at District Headquarters Hospital.

To a query, Dr. Durrani said that out of total 13 patients tested positive for dengue fever from Islamabad, 12 are from rural areas of the federal capital while one is from Islamabad urban. As many as four cases have so far been reported from Bharakahu, three from Rawat, two from PWD area in Union Council Koral and one each from UCs Sohan, Tarnol and Tarlai, he said.

The situation is well under control as the cases so far reported are of sporadic nature and could not be termed as outbreak of the infection, said Dr. Durrani. It is, however, important that the peak season for transmission of dengue fever in this region of the country starts by the end of August or in the beginning of September while the maximum number of cases of the infection is reported from September to November in the region.