Back with a vengeance: Dengue reportedly claims constable’s life in Haripur

Officials from Haripur and Abbottabad deny he had dengue and died in a hospital .

HARIPUR:

A police constable reportedly succumbed to dengue, while 12 out of 60 suspected cases have been diagnosed with the virus by the National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad, official sources claimed on Tuesday.

Moreover, 15 people were admitted to the isolation ward of the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital with high fever.

However, Haripur District Health Officer Dr Zakim Khan denied that a constable died at any health facility in Haripur and that too of dengue.



Sources at the DHQ Haripur said over 60 suspected cases were registered over the last two-and-a-half weeks and majority of them were from Khalabat Township, a settlement of displaced people from Tarbela living on the left bank of the reservoir. Individuals from Sera-e-Nehmat Khan, Pind Gujran in Khanpur, Kot Najibullah have also come to hospital with high fever.

The hospital source said most suspected cases, running temperature between 102 and 104 degrees Fahrenheit, were treated and discharged. However, eight women and seven men, who came to the hospital over the last four days, were still being treated at the dengue ward.

He claimed Constable Shehzad from Kot Najibullah village died on Sunday night. Shehzad was admitted to the DHQ for over four days and was later referred to Ayub Medical Complex in Abbottabad.

Meanwhile, dengue ward in charge Dr Nasir Mehmood confirmed that around 15 people with high fever were admitted, but added none of them had tested positive for dengue as yet. “They are suffering from a fever of unknown origin (FUO) and blood samples have been sent to the NIH which has not sent any confirmation yet,” he added.

About the police officer, Mehmood said the patient came in with high fever, but the NIH had yet to confirm if his samples tested positive for dengue. He also denied that the patient died at the DHQ.

Commenting on the situation, Haripur District Health Officer Dr Zakim Khan said over 30 suspected cases were registered during the months of August and September and eight patients tested positive for the virus.

However, he said all of them had been treated and had recovered fully. He denied that the police constable was dengue positive. The DHO said although he had not studied the constable’s file, it was certain that the policeman was not suffering from dengue and could have died from another ailment.

When contacted, Abbottabad Ayub Medical Complex Deputy Medical Superintendent Dr Abdul Manan also denied that a police constable died at the AMC recently.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 24^th, 2014.