Infection spreads: Dengue claims two more lives, death toll reaches eight

‘Currently 243 are getting treatment at STH as in-patients.

MINGORA:

The dengue virus continues to take lives as two more patients died of the disease on Monday. The total death toll has now hit eight while unofficial figures estimate 14 deaths over the last 10 days.

Saidu Teaching Hospital (STH) Dengue Cell In-charge Dr Wasil Ahmed confirmed the casualties.

One of the two deaths reported on Monday was a 15-year-old boy from Raheemabad. The other, 47-year-old Ali Rehman belonged to Malookabad area in Mingora.

At the moment, 243 patients are being treated for dengue at Saidu Teaching Hospital as in-patients. Of these at least four patients are in the intensive care unit and 22 are minors. Dr Wasil Ahmed confirmed another 1,578 were also being treated by the STH but at their own homes due to a lack of capacity.

STH Chief Executive Dr Taj Muhammad Khan dispelled reports which blame some of the recent deaths on Malaria.



Terming those as ‘baseless,’ Dr Khan said a team of doctors from Punjab confirmed the presence of dengue and has taken blood samples to further investigate the strains.

According to unofficial figures, the number of people infected since the outbreak has reached 7,000 across the district, shared the STH chief executive. However, the health department has only confirmed 2,900 affected by the virus. Doctors from the Dengue Surveillance Office have also visited Swat to check on the growing number of cases in the district.

A series of discussions with representatives from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and officials of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa health department concluded on August 28. It was decided to utilise the existing network of polio workers to help combat the dengue outbreak.

Representatives of both the WHO and the government decided a combined approach which would include case management, larva control through targeted fumigation, and mass awareness and communication strategies.

According to an official familiar with the matter, “The government is issuing necessary directives to all concerned for utilising more than 32,000 polio team members to create awareness regarding dengue via WHO approved information, education and communication material, which would be distributed door-to-door during the upcoming campaigns.”

Published in The Express Tribune, September 10^th, 2013.