Dengue fever outbreak gets intense

Rawalpindi
The dengue fever outbreak, which hit the population in the district too early this year, is getting more and more intense as was expected by health experts, and the number of confirmed patients of the infection reaching allied hospitals in town is continuously on the rise.
The data collected by ‘The News’ on Wednesday reveals that the number of patients tested positive at the allied hospitals during last one week is much greater than the number of patients confirmed positive in the previous week.
From August 15 to September 15 this year, a total of 272 patients were tested positive for dengue fever at the three teaching hospitals while in last eight days only, as many as 349 patients have been conformed positive for the infection at the allied hospitals belying tall claims made repeatedly by almost all the concerned government departments.
As many as 283 patients have been tested positive for dengue fever at the Holy Family Hospital so far and for the last one week, the hospital has been receiving 20 to 30 patients daily on average, said HFH Medical Superintendent Dr. Arshad Ali Sabir while talking to ‘The News’ on Wednesday.
He said that the result in six cases is yet to be received by the hospital where a total of 70 patients including 61 confirmed patients are undergoing treatment. The HFH received 138 confirmed cases of dengue fever from August 15 to September 15 while in last eight days, as many as 145 patients have been tested positive for the infection at the HFH.
The Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH) admitted a total of 390 patients after suspecting them as patients of dengue fever of which 264 were tested positive for the infection, said Medical Superintendent at BBH Dr. Asif Qadir Mir while talking to ‘The News’.
He said at present, a total of 61 patients including 48 confirmed cases are undergoing treatment at dengue ward of the hospital while result in two cases is being awaited by the hospital. The BBH received well over 140 confirmed cases of dengue fever in last one week.
A total of 74 patients have been tested positive for dengue fever at the District Headquarters Hospital in town till Wednesday morning and at present, 47 patients are undergoing treatment at the dengue fever ward of the hospital, said DHQ Hospital chief Dr. Khalid Randhawa while talking to ‘The News’.
Till September 15, only 17 patients were tested positive for dengue fever at the DHQ Hospital this year while in last eight days, the hospital received 57 patients.
The registration of well over 340 cases in last one week hints that the outbreak has got much intense and the concerned government authorities have failed in putting a check on spread of the infection.
It is worth mention here that last year, in 2014, not more than 50 confirmed cases of dengue fever were reported in the district till September 23.