No case of dengue fever in federal capital last week

Islamabad

Not a single case of dengue fever has been reported at any of the public and private healthcare facilities in the federal capital since Saturday last hinting that the limited outbreak of the infection that hit population in scattered areas of Islamabad including Bhara Kahu has come to its seasonal end.

No confirmed case of dengue fever has been registered with Islamabad hospitals in last one week and no case of the infection has been reported from both the rural and urban areas of the federal capital, said Additional District Health Officer at ICT Health Department Dr. Muhammad Najeeb Durrani while talking to ‘The News’ on Friday.

He added that the major reason behind seasonal end of dengue fever spread in Islamabad is fall in mercury level. The temperature has dropped down to 20 degrees Celsius and below from evening till morning in this region of the country, he said.

He added that below 20 degrees Celsius, ‘aedes aegypti’, the mosquito that causes dengue fever becomes unable to mount and feed on humans as his limbs and joints become weaker.

He added that the Islamabad hospitals have so far received a total of 324 confirmed patients of dengue fever this year while at this point in time last year, till November 10, 2016, a total of 2186 patients were reported at the hospitals in the federal capital.

Dr. Durrani said that it is time for individuals particularly those living in high risk areas to take measures to eliminate adult mosquitoes from inside homes and offices to check egg-laying activity of the dengue fever vector along with taking measures for elimination of indoor breeding sites so that we can avoid a possible dengue fever spike next year.

Data collected by ‘The News’ on Friday has revealed that to date, a total of 175 confirmed patients of dengue fever have been reported from rural areas of the federal capital of which as many as 114 confirmed patients reached hospitals from Bhara Kahu area. Another 92 patients have so far been reported from urban areas of the federal capital.

Data reveals that majority of cases of dengue fever from Islamabad urban have been reported from sectors H-11, H-13, I-9, I-10, G-12, G-13 and G-14 along with areas around Bari Imam Shrine.

In rural areas of the federal capital, as many as 114 confirmed patients of dengue fever have been reported from Bhara Kahu area, 20 from Union Council Tarnol, 15 from Sohan, 12 from UC Tarlai, four from Union Council Koral, six from Rawat, three from Shah Allah Ditta and one from Kirpa.

Dr. Durrani said Islamabad hospitals received as many as 33 patients from Punjab province including 25 patients from Rawalpindi while 24 patients registered at Islamabad hospitals are from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa including eight patients from Peshawar, five patients from Mardan and two patients each from Haripur and Bannu. Another seven patients reached hospitals in the federal capital from AJ&K.