Dengue claims one more life
Several dengue patients are isolated in mosquito nets at the Benazir Bhutto Hospital, Rawalpindi. PHOTO: ONLINE
One more dengue virus-infected patient died in Islamabad on Sunday, taking the total death toll to five in the federal capital this season.
According to data released by the Islamabad District House Officer’s office, 57 more cases were reported in the federal capital during the last 24 hours, taking the number of dengue patients to 1,388.
The data said that 709 dengue patients were under treatment in government hospitals in Islamabad, 673 in private hospitals and labs and six were in the Social Security Hospital.
On the other hand, 76 new dengue-positive patients landed in the hospitals in Rawalpindi during the last 24 hours, taking the toll to 1,403 so far. One dengue patient has so far died in Rawalpindi this year.
Health officials said that 236 dengue-positive patients were under treatment in three hospitals. They said that of the admitted patients, five were in critical condition in three hospitals.
The health officials said that 404 beds have been allocated for dengue patients in three major hospitals of the garrison city. They said that on average, 80 to 100 suspect dengue patients visit the hospitals.
Currently, 97 patients were under treatment at the Benazir Bhutto General Hospital, 60 at the Holy Family Hospital and 79 at the District Headquarters Hospital Rawalpindi, the health officials said adding that a majority of the dengue patients hailed from Girja, Chak Jalal Din and Dhaman Syedan union councils of Potohar Town.
On the other hand, the health department has intensified fogging and spraying to cull the dengue larvae in hotspot areas.
District Health Authority Chief Executive Dr Ishaq said that the anti-dengue campaign has been expedited and surveillance increased in areas where dengue cases were on the rise.
Meanwhile, Panadol, the main medicine doctors prescribe for the treatment of fever, continues to evade the market, forcing dengue patients to use other counterfeit drugs.
Rawalpindi is facing an acute shortage of medicines used to treat dengue fever amidst the onslaught of the dengue mosquito and the rising number of cases.
Sources said that fever-breaking pills and syrups have become scarce and wholesale dealers have run out of stocks. There has been a shortage of life-saving medicines due to the unusual buying and selling of medicines for flood victims, pharmacists said.
Drugs used to treat dengue patients have completely disappeared from the market and patients bear the brunt of the shortage.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 19th, 2022.