Dengue death toll rises to 27

PESHAWAR: Dengue virus took another life in Peshawar on Monday and 242 more people were diagnosed with dengue in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the provincial Health Department reported here.

Shah Alam, 35, son of Aslam, became the latest victim of the mosquito-borne disease, raising the death toll from dengue to 27 in KP so far.

He belonged to Tehkal area of Peshawar and was admitted at the Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH) on September 16.

Dengue virus was first reported in Tehkal area of the city in July and then spread to the adjacent Pishtakhara area. It later became an epidemic when infected more and more residents of these areas.

Majority of these patients from Tehkal and Pishtakhara are being shifted to the Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH) as it is close to the dengue affected areas. The hospital has become overburdened due to heavy rush of dengue patients.

According to the Dengue Response Unit (DRU), 1498 patients mainly suffering from fever and body ache were taken to different hospitals in KP, the majority of them in the provincial capital. Of 242 total dengue positive patients, 96 were admitted in the hospitals after 71 patients recovered from their disease and discharged from the hospitals. Presently 242 dengue patients are under treatment in KP’s hospitals.

The KTH received 973 patients on Monday and 174 of them were tested dengue positive. Of 174 patients, 45 patients were admitted in the hospital. The hospital is providing services to 242 indoor dengue patients at the moment.

 The Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) received 297 patients and 28 of them were diagnosed with dengue positive. Similarly, 105 patients were taken to the Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC) where 25 patients were tested positive.

Also in Peshawar, the Naseerullah Babar Hospital received 12 patients and four of them were tested dengue positive and Kuwait Teaching Hospital diagnosed three patients with dengue virus.

Mardan reported three positive cases, Mansehra two, and Abbottabad, Swabi and Buner one each dengue positive case.