ICT Health Department successful in checking dengue fever outbreak so far

Islamabad :Islamabad Capital Territory Health Department has so far come up with success in avoiding a possible outbreak of dengue fever as in last 10 days, less than 10 patients have been confirmed positive for the infection at public sector hospitals in the federal capital.

Data collected by ‘The News’ on Monday has revealed that the public sector hospitals in Islamabad have tested a total of 68 patients positive for dengue fever so far this season and the number of patients is on decline instead of showing any surge despite the fact that the existing weather conditions are most suitable for transmission of the infection.

The data revised by the ICT Health Department reveals that of these 68 patients who have been confirmed positive for dengue fever, as many as 43 are residents of Islamabad including 23 patients from rural areas of the federal capital while 20 have been confirmed positive from Islamabad urban.

Earlier in the beginning of September this year, the ICT health department has included suspected patients of dengue fever in the list of confirmed patients who were admitted to Islamabad hospitals.

However, the patients tested negative for dengue fever have now been excluded from that list and the new list shows that to date, only 68 patients have been confirmed positive for dengue fever at Islamabad hospitals, said Additional District Health Officer at ICT Health Department Dr. Muhammad Najeeb Durrani while talking to ‘The News’ on Monday.

He said of these 68 patients, eight are residents of Rawalpindi, four are from AJ&K, two from Murree, one each from Sialkot and Jhang while nine patients are residents of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa including six patients from Peshawar, two from Haripur and one from Mansehra.

Dr. Durrani said the situation is well under control and we hope that there would be no outbreak of dengue fever in the federal capital. However, we are strictly working on hospital surveillance and the teams of health department are working regularly in the field to avoid spread of the infection, he added.

To a query, he said it is time for individuals to take precautionary measures religiously to avoid dengue fever and for that they must avoid contact with mosquitoes particularly at home and workplace. Preventive measures must be followed by the end of November of avoid dengue fever, he said.