According to the ministry of health, 137 people were diagnosed with the disease in Islamabad alone, out of which two have died. In total, 433 suspected cases of dengue have been reported in the city since January 1, 2010.
The outbreak of the disease became somewhat controversial when the National Institute of Health (NIH) said they it had not diagnosed a single patient with the disease. Officials of the ministry of health and hospitals across the twin cities on the other hand claimed that NIH – the primary laboratory that tests for the virus – has declared many patients positive with Dengue fever.
Director General of the Ministry of Health Dr Rasheed Jooma said, “Almost all cases reported positive for dengue were tested by NIH.” Executive Director Pims Dr Mehmood Jamal, spokesman for Polyclinic Hospital Dr Sharif Astori, In-charge Infection Control Committee at Holy Family Hospital Dr Javed Hayat, Medical Superintendent at Benazir Bhutto Hospital Rawalpindi Dr Asif Mir and Medical Superintendent of District Headquarters Hospital Rawalpindi Dr Sher Ali, confirmed that they sent blood to NIH which tested it positive for the virus.
Reality hit home when the World Health Organization, in collaboration with the ministry of health, started sharing figures of dengue cases across the country with the public.
President Infection Control Society Pakistan Dr Rafiq Khanani said, “It is the prime responsibility of the government to take preventive measures before the start of an outbreak but unfortunately in Pakistan this practice has always been neglected.”
Although, Senior Director of Capital Development Authority’s Directorate of Health Services, Dr Hassan Urooj, said that before the start of dengue and malaria season (July to September), the authority fumigates nullahs, which are breeding grounds of mosquitoes.
While the disease has claimed several lives across the country, health experts say that dengue is not a serious illness and is easily treatable. Dr Hayyat of HFF said, “Dengue is not a serious disease but the panic that has been created among the public is making it sound more so.” He said that the recent rains had increased the number of potential breeding sites for mosquitoes and hence the virus had spread faster.
Senior Pathologist at Pims Dr Rubina Kamran said the hospitals received around 60 to 80 patients suspected of dengue. “Patients with even mild fever think they have dengue,” she said. She said there was a need to create awareness among the public about dengue fever’s symptoms, treatment and preventive measures.
Dr Kamran said another point of concern was that the majority of suspected dengue fever patients received by Pims belonged to Chakwal district and its suburbs.
Talking to The Express Tribune, Executive District Health Officer Chakwal Dr Nasir Mahmood said that government hospital there lacked the facilities needed to treat dengue patients, so they were being referred to hospitals in Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
Dr Mahmood said the health department could not take any preventive measures to stop the outbreak of dengue in the area because it was not provided funds by the provincial government. “We took help from local NGOs in raising funds and sprayed various possible dengue breeding grounds to stop the intensity of the disease,” he added.
He predicted that the epidemic would be under control within two weeks since the Punjab government had already released funds to the health department. “An isolation ward has also been established in District Headquarter Hospital Chakwal to treat dengue patients,” he said.
Whether the disease is deadly, or benign, as claimed by many health experts, maay still be debated, it cannot be debated that it is spreading fast. According to official estimates, 5,399 suspected cases of dengue have been reported across the country, out of which 2,936 have been diagnosed with the disease.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 27th, 2010.
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