Dengue fever: Boy from Islamabad dies at Pindi hospital

Officials refuse to link the boy’s death to the virus, listing a lung infection as the cause

RAWALPINDI: A young  boy, who had been suffering from dengue fever, reportedly died of a lung infection at the Holy Family Hospital (HFH) on Tuesday.

He is the fifth person to die while suffering from the viral fever in the garrison city this year. However, he is the first patient from Islamabad to die in  Rawalpindi.

Abdul Rehman, 11, came to the HFH from  Bahara Kahu in Islamabad after complaining of having lung trouble.

He was admitted to the hospital a few days ago and during treatment he tested positive for the dengue virus.

However, doctors did not immediately link dengue to his death. Officials said that the boy’s death certificate listed  lung infection as the cause of death.



According to details,  obtained from district health department, four other people had already died this year in Rawalpindi. Of these,  Naziran Bibi, 60, the mother of a sanitary worker with the district health department, had died on September 7 at a private hospital in the city and was the first patient suffering from dengue to have died in the city this year.

At least one patient suspected of suffering from dengue fever, had also died at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims ) on September 26. The patient, 38-year-old Sabir, was brought to the hospital in 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.

Out of control

Meanwhile, the total number of positive dengue cases received at three allied hospitals in the garrison city, HFH, Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH), and District Headquarter Hospital (DHQ), have topped 1,655 in 2016.

Of these, the bulk of the cases are of patients hailing from Islamabad with as many as 992 from the capital.

There are 662 positives cases reported from different parts of Rawalpindi district. In Rawal Town 308 cases were reported, 119 in Potohar Town, 53 in Chaklala Cantonment areas, and 146 in Rawalpindi cantonment board localities.

Currently, there are 280 patients admitted in the three hospitals and 196 had already been confirmed as dengue positive.

As far as positive cases are concerned, 115 patients are admitted in HFH, 69 in BBH, and 12 in DHQ. Out of total confirmed patients, 118 came from Islamabad, 72 from Rawalpindi, five from out of Punjab, and one from other cities of Punjab.

Health experts involved in effort for curtailing the virus and eliminating the dengue larva are hopeful that the number of cases will fall with decrease in temperature. They expect the situation will improve in November.

Anti-dengue efforts of the district health department are underway as the staff continued to find dengue larvae in different parts of the city. The health department on Monday sealed four buildings in the city after dengue larva was found from water tanks.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 19^th, 2016.