Unwelcome return: In Pindi, first scare of dengue
20-year-old patient said to have very low platelet count; blood sample sent to NIH.
RAWALPINDI:
A patient exhibiting symptoms associated with dengue was brought to the Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH) on Saturday.
The patient, 20-year-old Aniqa Ahmed, is a resident Satellite Town in Rawalpindi. Even though the hospital has not officially confirmed the case, a source at BBH who wished not to be named told The Express Tribune that the case has been confirmed by a private laboratory.
The source added that the patient’s blood samples have been sent to the National Institute of Health. If confirmed, Aniqa will be the first patient of 2012 to be suffering from dengue in the twin cities.
Her brother, a technician at the lab who conducted her tests, said Aniqa’s platelets have fallen down to 38,000. The normal range is between 150,000 and 400,000.
Hospital sources said Dr Umer Saeed, in charge of dengue ward, is directly supervising her care.
In 2011, more than 16,000 dengue cases were reported in Punjab, of which Lahore accounted for 14,000 cases, according to official figures.
Rawalpindi and Islamabad, though not as badly hit, also felt the pinch. Out of the around 900 suspected patients that were brought to various hospitals, 634 were confirmed to be infected with dengue virus.
Dengue spray from April 1
The Rawalpindi administration decided on Saturday to carry out fumigations in different parts of the city from April 1.
In a meeting, Rawalpindi District Coordination Officer Saqib Zafar was told that private and cooperative housing schemes have also been notified to conduct regular sprays.
But these precautionary measures may already be too late. This year may be worse than the last, experts warn. The government seems to be inadequately prepared to deal with the situation, according to analysts.
Until as recently as two weeks back, officials charged with anti-dengue measures were clamouring to get funds released for the prime minister’s special initiative on dengue.
The initial funds allocated were Rs59 million which were later cut to Rs39.5 million, according to a senior Capital Administration and Development Division official.
*With input from Mudassir Raja
Published in The Express Tribune, March 18th, 2012.
A patient exhibiting symptoms associated with dengue was brought to the Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH) on Saturday.
The patient, 20-year-old Aniqa Ahmed, is a resident Satellite Town in Rawalpindi. Even though the hospital has not officially confirmed the case, a source at BBH who wished not to be named told The Express Tribune that the case has been confirmed by a private laboratory.
The source added that the patient’s blood samples have been sent to the National Institute of Health. If confirmed, Aniqa will be the first patient of 2012 to be suffering from dengue in the twin cities.
Her brother, a technician at the lab who conducted her tests, said Aniqa’s platelets have fallen down to 38,000. The normal range is between 150,000 and 400,000.
Hospital sources said Dr Umer Saeed, in charge of dengue ward, is directly supervising her care.
In 2011, more than 16,000 dengue cases were reported in Punjab, of which Lahore accounted for 14,000 cases, according to official figures.
Rawalpindi and Islamabad, though not as badly hit, also felt the pinch. Out of the around 900 suspected patients that were brought to various hospitals, 634 were confirmed to be infected with dengue virus.
Dengue spray from April 1
The Rawalpindi administration decided on Saturday to carry out fumigations in different parts of the city from April 1.
In a meeting, Rawalpindi District Coordination Officer Saqib Zafar was told that private and cooperative housing schemes have also been notified to conduct regular sprays.
But these precautionary measures may already be too late. This year may be worse than the last, experts warn. The government seems to be inadequately prepared to deal with the situation, according to analysts.
Until as recently as two weeks back, officials charged with anti-dengue measures were clamouring to get funds released for the prime minister’s special initiative on dengue.
The initial funds allocated were Rs59 million which were later cut to Rs39.5 million, according to a senior Capital Administration and Development Division official.
*With input from Mudassir Raja
Published in The Express Tribune, March 18th, 2012.