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Thursday March 28, 2024

Dengue fever outbreak in Potohar sets new record

By Muhammad Qasim
November 23, 2019

Rawalpindi: The three teaching hospitals in town have already tested over 11,940 patients positive for dengue fever so far this year that has set a new record as the number of confirmed cases reported in one year alone, in 2019 at allied hospitals has almost equalled the number of patients confirmed positive in previous 13 years, from 2006 to 2018.

The allied hospitals in town are still receiving 10 to 20 confirmed cases of dengue fever daily on average despite a significant fall in temperature and the infection has already claimed 41 lives at the three hospitals and the number of deaths caused by the infection in 2019 has also crossed the total number of deaths due to dengue fever reported in last 13 years at the allied hospitals.

It is important that from 2006 to 2008, the total number of confirmed patients of dengue fever registered with the allied hospitals in town including Holy Family Hospital, Benazir Bhutto Hospital and District Headquarters Hospital was around 170 while in 2009, less than 30 cases of the infection were reported from the district.

It is important that the outbreak of dengue fever though limited in nature was reported for the first time in 2006 in this region of the country.

In 2010, the number of confirmed patients of dengue fever registered with the allied hospitals touched the figure of 400 for the first time while in 2011; slightly over 800 patients were reported at the three teaching hospitals.

In 2012, the allied hospitals received not a single confirmed case of dengue fever as the district enjoyed dengue-free status and not even sporadic cases of dengue fever were reported from the district. In 2013, the dengue fever, however, was back with a vengeance and well over 1153 confirmed cases were registered with the three teaching hospitals in town.

In 2014, as many as 1406 patients were tested positive for dengue fever at the allied hospitals in town and the number crossed the figure of 3900 in 2015. The outbreak in 2015 was much severe with 3911 confirmed cases and 13 deaths due to the infection at the allied hospitals.

In 2016, the allied hospitals received over 3300 confirmed cases of dengue fever and the outbreak claimed at least eight lives. The dengue fever outbreaks in 2015 and 2016 were considered as the most severe in nature before 2019.

In 2017, the allied hospitals received less than 600 confirmed cases of the infection with only two deaths and in 2018, a total of 710 confirmed patients of the infection were reported at the allied hospitals and the infection claimed two lives.

It is worth mentioning here that during the dengue fever outbreaks reported from 2006 to 2018, almost every confirmed patient was admitted to the hospital for management while in 2019, the criterion for admission was different and a huge number of confirmed patients were provided treatment on outpatient department basis.