Number of dengue fever patients still high

Rawalpindi: Despite a significant fall in temperature in this region of the country, the number of confirmed patients of dengue fever being reported at the teaching hospitals including Holy Family Hospital, Benazir Bhutto Hospital and District Headquarters Hospital is still much high though it was expected that after fall in mercury level, there would almost be no cases of the infection. The mercury level in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi has already started falling hinting towards setting in of winter but still the allied hospitals in town are receiving well over 50 confirmed patients of dengue fever per day on average.

Data collected by ‘The News’ on Saturday has revealed that as many as 105 more patients have been tested positive at the allied hospitals in last 48 hours and it is important to mention that over 40 of the patients are residents of the federal capital.

The confirmation of 105 cases in last two days has taken the total number of confirmed patients so far reported this year at the three teaching hospitals to 11,572 though in last two days, the infection claimed no life at the allied hospitals. The infection, however, has already claimed four lives this week and the total number of deaths caused by dengue fever from September 5 this year to date at the allied hospitals has touched the figure of 40. Health experts believe that the number of dengue fever patients being reported in the region has started showing significant decline yet the individuals should not consider the situation under control instead they should take extra ordinary preventive and control measures and must avoid contact with dengue fever vector, the mosquitoes.

In last 24 hours, dengue fever outpatient department at the allied hospitals received a total of 349 patients. The allied hospitals tested 42 patients positive for the infection while results in 25 cases were being awaited on Saturday morning. It is important to mention that in the most severe outbreaks of dengue fever in 2015 and 2016, the allied hospitals were receiving not more that 10 to 20 confirmed cases of the infection per day on average in November.

According to experts, the number of patients is still much high because of greater population of mosquitoes ‘aedes aegypti’, the vector that causes dengue fever. The larvae of dengue fever vector were found in much abundance this year and that is why the incidence of infection is still much higher, say the experts.

On Saturday, a total of 177 dengue fever patients were undergoing treatment at dengue fever wards of the allied hospitals of which 139 have been confirmed positive while as many as 81 have been diagnosed with dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF) and five are suffering from dengue shock syndrome (DSS). DSS and DHF are complications of the infection and these cases are differentiated from dengue fever on the basis of history of bleeding from gum or skin and are considered as more fatal than dengue fever cases.