Fatal bite: Dengue claims its first life in Pindi

National Institute of Health confirms the patient was suffering from the deadly virus.

RAWALPINDI:

The first death due to dengue in Rawalpindi was confirmed two days back, health officials said on Wednesday.

Muhammad Babar died on October 5 after he was brought to Holy Family Hospital (HFH) from Dhok Kala Khan. He was suffering from high fever and continuously vomiting. His blood samples were sent to National Institute of Health (NIH) for confirmation.

The results came back on October 10, confirming that Babar had been suffering from dengue.

Deputy Medical Superintendent Holy Family Hospital (HFH) Dr Javed Hayat said, “Babar was brought to the hospital with a history of five days of high fever, diarrhoea and body aches.”

The patient was instable and admitted to the isolation ward straight away, the doctor said. He was put on a ventilator but did not survive.

The doctor confirmed it was the first death from dengue in Rawalpindi. Another man who had died from dengue in Rawalpindi had come from Nowshera, said the doctor.

Dengue update

Meanwhile, the total number of dengue positive patients that visited the three allied hospital in Rawalpindi since August 1 has gone up to 338. Eighty-one of these have come from outside the district.

The data obtained from the hospitals on Wednesday revealed that the highest number of dengue positive patients have been received from Rawal Town. The city area of the district has so far provided 150 patients. Moreover 53 dengue patients have been reported from the three cantonments in Rawalpindi.

Furthermore, 27 confirmed patients have come from rural areas of Potohar Town, 18 from Gujar Khan, four from Kallar Syedan, two each from Taxila and Kotli Sattian and one from Kahuta.

There has been one confirmed dengue patient from Murree in Rawalpindi.

Health officials said all dengue patients, except two, were discharged after recovering from the ailment.

Suspected patients soar

However, the number of suspected patients in the three allied hospitals has risen to 1,351.

Commissioner Rawalpindi Zahid Saeed said that the business community should supplement the efforts of the government in the fight against dengue.

“They (traders) should help in conducting sprays in their respective bazaars and markets. The act should be repeated where the spray has already been done so that we can eliminate this virus from Rawalpindi,” he said. “This can only be done with the joint efforts of government, business community and civil society,” he added. He expressed these views while talking to a delegation of Markazi Anjuman Tajran Rawalpindi (traders organisation), who had come to meet him.

On the other hand, Dr Hayat said that the spread of dengue fever is under control, particularly in Rawalpindi district as patients are being provided effective treatment at the hospitals. “Chances are the virus would be wiped out by the end of October,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 13^th, 2011.