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Dengue fever continues hitting population in Pindi region

By Muhammad Qasim
October 03, 2017

Rawalpindi: As many as 16 more patients have been tested positive for dengue fever here at Holy Family Hospital in town in last 48 hours taking the total number of confirmed patients so far registered with the HFH to 114.

Data collected by ‘The News’ on Monday has revealed that on Monday morning, as many as 51 patients of dengue fever including confirmed and suspected ones were undergoing treatment at Department of Infectious Diseases (DID) of Rawalpindi Medical University established at Holy Family Hospital in town.

Of these 51 patients admitted at the HFH, 18 have already been confirmed positive by the pathology department of the hospital while results in 15 cases whose samples have been sent for dengue serology were being awaited on Monday morning.

Apart from confirmed patients of the infection, as many as 18 patients who have been declared negative for dengue fever according to hospital sources were also undergoing treatment at dengue fever ward.

The DID sent samples of over 30 probable patients of dengue fever to the pathology department for confirmatory tests in last 48 hours of which 16 were tested positive for the infection taking total number of confirmed patients at the HFH to 114.

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 114 patients so far confirmed positive for dengue fever at the HFH, 48 are residents of Rawalpindi while 49 reached the hospital from Islamabad Capital Territory. As many as 11 confirmed patients of dengue fever reached the HFH from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and four confirmed patients are residents of AJK while one reached hospital 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 Monday. 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.