Health scare: With four new patients, dengue count spikes to 15

Most of those affected are from Amankot, raising concern of the virus spreading to Mingora.

MINGORA: Four more dengue patients were admitted to Saidu Teaching Hospital, Swat on Friday, bringing the total number of people suffering from the potentially deadly virus to 15 in the current year.

Focal person for the dengue unit at Saidu Teaching Hospital, Roshan Ali said the patients were brought to the medical facility after testing positive for the disease.

Although the total number of patients in Swat stands at 15, six of them have been discharged from the hospital after recovering completely. “Nine patients, including four women and five men, are kept in the dengue cell where they are being treated,” said Ali.

He told The Express Tribune all four new patients are residents of Sakha Cheena area of Amankot, from where 12 people have tested positive for dengue and been admitted to the hospital.

The rising number of dengue cases set alarm bells ringing among Amankot residents, who have demanded the government take emergency measures to control the spread of the virus.

Medical experts also warned negligence or indifference could prove fatal.

On the other hand, an official in the district administration of Swat claimed that a dengue campaign was underway and a door-to-door survey was being conducted to eliminate larvae carrying the disease.

Lady Health Workers Association President Naheed Bahadar said hundreds of LHWs are taking part in the dengue campaign. “Our LHWs have visited over 100,000 houses over the last 11 days and eliminated more than 400 larvae from different areas,” she stated.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 12^th, 2014.