Abdominal bleeding: Suspected dengue patient dies

ISLAMABAD: A patient suspected of suffering from dengue fever, died at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) on Monday.

The patient, 38-year-old Sabir, was brought to the hospital on Sunday night in a critical condition, according to hospital officials. Prof Dr Javed Akram said the Gujar Khan native was reportedly ill for the last 12 days and his intestine had ruptured causing abdominal bleeding.

Apart from the internal bleeding, blood reports had found that his platelets were quite low, raising suspicions that he may have contracted dengue virus, Dr Akram said. However, the dengue infection can only be confirmed by the National Institute of Health in three days.

According to officials, so far about 80 cases of dengue fever have been reported this season, mostly from Punjab and other surrounding cities, but no deaths have been caused by the virus so far.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 27^th, 2016.