Pakistan

Health scare: Toll in twin cities soars above 3,000

AJK judge admitted to Rawalpindi hospital with fever

Photo Agha Mehroz/mudassir Raja November 12, 2016

A nurse tends to a dengue patient in Civil Hospital in Rawalpindi on Saturday. PHOTO: AGHA MEHROZ/EXPRESS

RAWALPINDI: Even as the rate of infections subside owing to falling temperatures, at least 33 more cases were confirmed at the allied hospitals of Rawalpindi.

This takes the total toll of confirmed cases at hospitals in the garrison city to 3,044.

Among the latest cases of dengue fever confirmed, a serving judge of the Azad Kashmir high court was admitted in the city for treatment.

Justice Azhar Saleem Babar Chughtai of AJK High Court was reportedly admitted to the Holy Family Hospital (HFH) after he contracted dengue. However, doctors say he is currently in good health.

Hospital officials while providing a break up of the cases confirmed, 16 cases were reported at HFH, 15 at Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH), and two at District Headquarters Hospital (DHQ) on Saturday morning.

Meanwhile, there are 44 dengue patients under treatment at HFH, 19 at BBH, and six at DHQ.

Of the total 69 patients under treatment at the hospitals, a majority are from Islamabad, around 49. There were only 18 from different areas of Rawalpindi, while only one was from another city of Punjab while one was from outside of Punjab.

Islamabad has been particularly afflicted by dengue this year contributing more cases than all of Punjab. According to official data, as many as 2,171 confirmed cases had originated in Islamabad. The major bulk of these cases were from rural areas of the capital where 1,920 cases were reported.

Though number of positive cases have dropped as the weather started cooling down, the numbers reported in November are however a cause of concern for health officials.

Meanwhile a meeting held in the office of District Coordination Officer DCO Talat Mahmood Gondal expressed satisfaction over anti-dengue campaign going on in the city.

Heading the meeting, PML-N Rawalpindi president Sardar Naseem said that the district authorities would continue efforts against the dengue fever.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 13^th, 2016.