Under control: Eight patients tested positive for dengue so far
Number may be misreported as all patients don’t go to public hospitals.
Number may be misreported as all patients don’t go to public hospitals. PHOTO: FILE
ISLAMABAD:
The twin cities have recorded 20 cases of dengue this year and patients are under treatment at various public hospitals. Of the patients tested positive for the virus, eight belong to Rawalpindi and Islamabad, while the rest hail from Swat, Abbottabad and adjoining areas.
The authorities of the twin cities still claim that the situation is under control and there is no threat of an outbreak.
Talking to The Express Tribune, Dr Javed Hayyat, focal person for infectious diseases of the Rawalpindi Medical College and the Allied Hospitals, said that this year, around 140 suspected cases of dengue fever have been registered in the Holy Family Hospital and two in Benazir Bhutto Hospital.
Of these, nine tested positive for dengue, including two individuals from Islamabad, one from Abbottabad, four from Rawalpindi and the remaining from other cities, said Hayyat. He said the number reported is not alarming considering the fact that it is dengue season.
Moreover, CDA Health Services Director Dr Hasan Urooj said that so far, eleven patients tested positive for dengue are admitted at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Science (Pims), one of whom is a local of Islamabad.
He said the majority of dengue patients are from Swat, Abbotabad and other nearby cities.
“In light of this, I have written a letter to the Swat transport authority to ensure fumigation in public buses and vans travelling between Islamabad and Swat. I have also asked the Islamabad Capital Territory to direct the transport authority to fumigate all public transport stands,” he said.
A medical specialist at Pims said on the condition of anonymity that dengue cases are being reported in Islamabad’s private hospitals as well, but there is no department that maintains a complete record for all hospitals record of it.
“Patients may have gone to private hospitals and clinics, which is why the number of infected might be underreported,” said the Pims official.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 8th, 2013.
The twin cities have recorded 20 cases of dengue this year and patients are under treatment at various public hospitals. Of the patients tested positive for the virus, eight belong to Rawalpindi and Islamabad, while the rest hail from Swat, Abbottabad and adjoining areas.
The authorities of the twin cities still claim that the situation is under control and there is no threat of an outbreak.
Talking to The Express Tribune, Dr Javed Hayyat, focal person for infectious diseases of the Rawalpindi Medical College and the Allied Hospitals, said that this year, around 140 suspected cases of dengue fever have been registered in the Holy Family Hospital and two in Benazir Bhutto Hospital.
Of these, nine tested positive for dengue, including two individuals from Islamabad, one from Abbottabad, four from Rawalpindi and the remaining from other cities, said Hayyat. He said the number reported is not alarming considering the fact that it is dengue season.
Moreover, CDA Health Services Director Dr Hasan Urooj said that so far, eleven patients tested positive for dengue are admitted at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Science (Pims), one of whom is a local of Islamabad.
He said the majority of dengue patients are from Swat, Abbotabad and other nearby cities.
“In light of this, I have written a letter to the Swat transport authority to ensure fumigation in public buses and vans travelling between Islamabad and Swat. I have also asked the Islamabad Capital Territory to direct the transport authority to fumigate all public transport stands,” he said.
A medical specialist at Pims said on the condition of anonymity that dengue cases are being reported in Islamabad’s private hospitals as well, but there is no department that maintains a complete record for all hospitals record of it.
“Patients may have gone to private hospitals and clinics, which is why the number of infected might be underreported,” said the Pims official.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 8th, 2013.