More casualties: Four fall to dengue in Swat and Shangla

Over a dozen critically ill patients in ICU at Saidu Teaching Hospital.

MINGORA/ SHANGLA:

Dengue claimed four lives in the province on Friday, with three deaths reported from Swat and one from Shangla.

The three casualties in Swat took the unofficial death toll to 57 in the district. Up until Friday, the official death toll had reached 36, according to the District Health Office (DHO).

Locals said Reshma, 22, a resident of Khwajabad, Fazalullah, 26, a resident of Charbagh, and Husna, 14, a resident of Amankot, died due to dengue fever.

The DHO recorded 21 new dengue cases on Friday, taking the total number of dengue patients in Swat to 8,457. These include 5,806 males and 2,651 females.

According to Saidu Teaching Hospital (STH) Spokesperson Dr Wasil Ahmad, 25 new patients were admitted to the hospital on Friday, after which the total number of patients registered with STH reached 4,706. Similarly, 11 patients were discharged, taking the number of cured patients to 4,492.

“Presently, 51 patients are hospitalised, while 13 patients with complications are under treatment in the intensive care unit,” said Dr Ahmed.

Meanwhile, dengue claimed its second casualty in Shangla when critically ill Rashid died while being shifted from a hospital in Shangla to Mingora.

Furthermore, 71 new patients were confirmed to have contracted the virus, pushing the total number of infected patients to 737 in the district.

According to Medical Superintendent of Tehsil Headquarters Hospital, Bisham, Dr Mansoor Ahmad, the hospital lacks the facilities to deal with the soaring number of patients. However, Health Minister Shaukat Yousafzai has taken notice of the situation, providing 50 beds to the facility, he added.

The medical superintendent said all laboratory staff and doctors were on duty throughout the Eid holidays to facilitate incoming patients.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 19^th, 2013.