Dengue fever continues to hit population

Rawalpindi: As many as 39 more patients have been tested positive for dengue fever here at Holy Family Hospital (HFH) in town in last one week taking the total number of confirmed patients so far registered with the HFH to 98.

Data collected by ‘The News’ on Saturday has revealed that on Saturday morning, as many as 22 confirmed patients of dengue fever were undergoing treatment at Department of Infectious Diseases (DID) of Rawalpindi Medical University established at Holy Family Hospital in town.

Apart from confirmed patients of the infection, a good number of probable cases of dengue fever were also admitted at the dengue fever ward on Saturday morning and DID has sent their samples for dengue serology to the pathology department.  The DID sent samples of as many as 27 probable patients of dengue fever to the pathology department on Friday of which 13 were tested positive for the infection taking total number of confirmed patients at the HFH to 98.

According to health experts, the continuous increase in number of confirmed patients of dengue fever being reported at the HFH is making the situation more and more alarming particularly because the existing weather conditions in the region are the most suitable for dengue fever transmission.

Data collected by ‘The News’ has revealed that out of 98 patients so far confirmed positive for dengue fever at the HFH, 41 are residents of Rawalpindi and 41 reached the hospital from Islamabad Capital Territory while 11 are residents of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. As many as four confirmed patients reached HFH from AJK and one from Chakwal.

The confirmed cases of dengue fever so far registered with the HFH have been reported from scattered areas of town which is more alarming according to health experts as even a single confirmed case from a locality proves the existence of ‘aedes aegypti’, the vector that causes dengue fever in the area.

Many health experts are of the view that if the situation is not controlled well in time, the population in town may face a severe outbreak of the infection in coming days particularly because the incidence of dengue fever is showing a continuous rising trend.

Majority of cases reaching HFH from the federal capital are from Bhara Kahu area, said Focal Person for Infectious Diseases at HFH Dr. Haroon while talking to ‘The News’ on Saturday.

It is important that a limited dengue fever outbreak has severely hit population in a locality namely Mangu Town, located along Col. Amanullah Road in Bhara Kahu area of the federal capital and the number of confirmed cases of the infection is still on the rise in the area.