160 test positive for dengue from Pindi in a day

Rawalpindi:In the last 24 hours, another 160 individuals belonging to Rawalpindi district have been confirmed positive for dengue fever hinting towards a poor control on dengue fever spread even after declaration of Dengue Emergency in the district by Deputy Commissioner/Administrator District Health Authority Rawalpindi.

Data collected by ‘The News’ on Wednesday has revealed that as many as 791 patients from Rawalpindi district have tested positive in the last seven days, after the declaration of Dengue Emergency in Rawalpindi that amounts to 113 patients being tested positive from the district per day on average.

It is alarming that the average number of patients tested positive from the district in the last one week remains so high even after a significant decrease in the number of cases for three days, from Saturday to Monday. According to the district health authority Rawalpindi, only 267 individuals from the district were confirmed positive for the infection from October 12 to 14 and it means that as many as 524 confirmed patients were reported in the remaining four days of the week, after the Dengue Emergency was declared.

Data reveals that after confirmation of another 160 patients positive for dengue fever from the district in the last 24 hours, the total number of confirmed dengue fever patients so far reported from the district has reached 3068 that was 2277 at the time of declaration of Dengue Emergency.

It is important that to date, a total of six patients from the district have lost their lives due to dengue fever this year. On Wednesday morning, as many as 209 confirmed dengue fever patients were undergoing treatment at the teaching hospitals in Rawalpindi.

Experts believe that a continuous rise in the number of dengue fever cases at the time is alarming as the existing weather conditions are considered as the most suitable for transmission of the disease.

The epidemiological data reveals that if the concerned government authorities fail in controlling further spread of the infection at the time, the population in the region would have to face a more intense phase of dengue fever outbreak within a week or so.