Dengue claims another life

Rawalpindi:The on-going dengue fever outbreak that has started losing intensity in this region of the country has claimed another life here at Holy Family Hospital taking total number of deaths so far caused by the infection at the three teaching hospitals in town including HFH, Benazir Bhutto Hospital and District Headquarters Hospital to 41 this year.

From September 5 to date, as many as 25 dengue fever patients died of the infection at the HFH, 10 at BBH and six at DHQ Hospital keeping the situation alarming for both the general public and patients and their attendants.

The number of patients being reported here at the allied hospitals per day on average has started showing a significant decline as for the last one week, the allied hospitals have been receiving 35 to 45 confirmed patients of dengue fever per day on average while the number was between 200 and 300 from the third week of September to third week of October.

Data collected by ‘The News’ on Friday has revealed that in last six days, the allied hospitals received a total of 252 confirmed patients of the infection taking the total number of patients so far confirmed positive for the infection at the allied hospitals this year to 11820.

Out of 11820 confirmed patients reported at the allied hospitals, well over 4800 are residents of the federal capital while nearly 6900 were reported from District Rawalpindi and over 100 reached allied hospitals from other districts. In last 24 hours, the allied hospitals received a total of 37 confirmed patients of dengue fever while a total of 174 patients reported at dengue outpatient departments of the three hospitals. It is important that in September and October, the allied hospitals were receiving 1500 to 2000 patients at their dengue OPDs.

The number of admitted patients in wards of the three hospitals has also slashed down from over 800 in September and October to 177 last week and 109 on Friday.The allied hospitals had to receive final results in 14 probable cases of the infection on Friday.

It is important that the dengue fever outbreak is of the most severe nature in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi this year as compared to the infection’s spikes in previous years and that is why the allied hospitals are receiving over 35 confirmed patients per day on average even after the second week of November.

The pattern of the incidences of infection in the past 14 years reveals that usually after the second week of November, the allied hospitals do not receive over 10 patients per day due to fall in temperature yet the situation is different this year.