Getting stung: 13th dengue case reported in Swat

DHO says virus still in play despite fumigation, awareness drives

MINGORA: Another case of dengue virus was confirmed in Swat, taking the total number of reported patients to 13 from the district this year.

Seven-year-old Hazrat Munir, a resident of Balogram — on the outskirts of Mingora — was shifted to a hospital in a critical condition Tuesday evening. He was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU).

Talking to The Express Tribune Swat district health officer (DHO) Dr Syed Ali said despite heavy fumigation and consistent campaigns to create awareness and to provide public guidelines regarding prevention of the disease, cases were still being reported. Ali explained 13 cases have been reported from Swat so far but none of them had proved to be fatal.



However, three deaths from dengue fever were reported from Abbottabad earlier this week. Around 260 patients diagnosed with dengue fever from Mansehra, Kohistan, Haripur, Battagram and Abbottabad were admitted in Ayub Teaching Hospital in 2015.

According to the health department’s data, around 200 people were affected by dengue fever in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in 2014 in the peak dengue season. According to one of the Malaria Control Program Coordinators, 98% of these cases from across the province were from Swat alone. These figures showed a sharp decline since 2013 where over 11,600 people were affected by the deadly virus. Out of these cases, 9,038 were reported from Swat alone where nearly 40 people succumbed to the virus.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 24^th, 2015.