Dengue fever outbreak about to set new record; claims four lives so far

Rawalpindi
The dengue fever outbreak in the district is about to set a new record for the most positive cases of the infection in a year as the three allied hospitals in town have already tested a total of 1,656 patients positive till Wednesday, while in 2014 the number of confirmed patients of the infection was 1,406 till November 22 at the time when the outbreak had lost its intensity.
In 2013, the total number of positive cases of dengue fever reported at the allied hospitals was 1,153 till November 30, while in 2012 the district enjoyed the dengue-free status as no outbreak hit the population. In 2011, slightly over 800 patients were tested positive at the three teaching hospitals in town till November 30.
The data collected by ‘The News’ on Wednesday reveals that to date a total of 732 patients have been tested positive for dengue fever at Benazir Bhutto Hospital, 712 have been confirmed positive at Holy Family Hospital and 212 were tested positive at District Headquarters Hospital.
The allied hospitals in town have tested well over 700 cases of the infection positive in last 12 days while in last 24 hours, the outpatient departments of the allied hospitals received nearly 990 suspects of the infection and the number is continuously on the rise.
So far, the outbreak has claimed four lives at the allied hospitals. A total of three patients of dengue fever died at the HFH while one at BBH.
On Wednesday morning, a total of 127 patients of dengue fever, including confirmed and suspected cases, were undergoing treatment at the HFH while result in 18 probable cases of the infection is being awaited by the hospital administration, said HFH chief Dr. Shafiq Sarwar while talking to ‘The News’ on Wednesday.
He said that a total of seven patients of dengue hemorrhagic fever and two patients in dengue shock syndrome, rare complications of dengue fever, are undergoing treatment at the HFH.
DHF and DSS are more fatal forms of the infection and studied reveal that mortality rate among patients with these complications ranges from two to 40 per cent.
On Wednesday morning, a total of 148 patients of dengue fever were undergoing treatment at the BBH while 51 were admitted to the DHQ Hospital. As many as six patients with DHF were admitted to the BBH while one was undergoing treatment at DHQ Hospital.
The HFH received a total of 200 suspects of the infection at its outpatient department in last 24 hours, BBH received 622 suspects while 170 suspects reached the DHQ Hospital’s OPD.
According to details, the BBH is waiting for result in 37 probable cases of the infection while DHQ Hospital had to finalise result in 14 probable cases till Wednesday morning.