29 patients so far test positive for dengue fever from Pindi

Rawalpindi: As many as 29 patients have so far been confirmed positive for dengue fever from Rawalpindi district of which one patient has been undergoing treatment at District Headquarters Hospital while 28 confirmed patients of the infection have already been discharged after achieving complete cure.

Data collected by ‘The News’ on Friday has revealed that to date, a total of eight patients have been confirmed positive from areas falling under the jurisdiction of Rawalpindi Cantonment Board, seven from areas in Municipal Corporation Rawalpindi, six from Potohar Town (peri-urban) areas, four from Gujar Khan, two from Taxila Cantonment areas and one each from Kallar Syedan and Kotli Sattian.

Data also reveals that the situation, at least, at the time is well under control as in the last seven days, only one individual has tested positive for dengue fever from the district, from Potohar Town on July 13. The alarming, however, is the fact that well over three per cent of the houses checked for larvae of mosquitoes ‘aedes aegypti’, the vector that causes dengue fever have been found positive in as many as 26 union councils of the district including 14 falling under the jurisdiction of Municipal Corporation Rawalpindi, seven in Potohar Town, four in RCB and one in Chaklala Cantonment Board.

It is also important to mention that six union councils in the district have been found with Breteau Index above seven means larvae of ‘aedes aegypti’ have been found from over seven per cent of the houses checked in these UCs in Pirwadhai area, Dhoke Hassu Shumali, Fauji Colony, Chak Jalal Din, Satellite Town Block D and CTC 5 in Chaklala Cantonment Board.

According to District Coordinator Epidemics Prevention and Control Cell at District Health Authority Rawalpindi Dr. Sajjad Mahmood, dengue fever has claimed no life from the district so far. The health department is well prepared to deal with an expected outbreak of dengue fever in the region as at present, a total of 108 beds have been allocated for the treatment of dengue fever in the district.

Of 108 beds, 60 beds have been allocated in the three teaching hospitals in town including 40 beds at Holy Family Hospital and 10 each at Benazir Bhutto Hospital and District Headquarters Hospital.

Many health experts fear that the population in the district may face a more severe dengue fever outbreak this year as the number of dengue fever patients so far confirmed positive from the district is higher as compared to the number of confirmed patients reported in 2022 and 2023 till this point in time.

At this point in time, in 2022, as many as 13 patients were tested positive for dengue fever from the district while in 2023, the number was 19 while this year, 29 patients have so far been confirmed positive for the infection.