Dengue hitting Pindiites hard

Rawalpindi : Dengue fever has started hitting the population much more severely in Rawalpindi district where as many as 194 patients have so far been confirmed positive while the infection has claimed one life from the district.

Data collected by ‘The News’ on Tuesday reveals that as many as 55 confirmed cases of dengue fever have been reported from Rawalpindi district in the last three days and the number of patients being tested positive in the district is continuously on the rise.

So far, the worst hit area in Rawalpindi district by dengue fever is Potohar Town, peri-urban areas from where as many as 119 patients have been reported. The patient died of dengue fever, a male aged 46 years, was a resident of Tench Bhatta who was admitted to District Headquarters Hospital in town. Later he developed dengue haemorrhagic fever that led to dengue shock syndrome and the patient died of multi-organ failure last week.

Out of 194 dengue fever cases so far reported from the district, 70 are from Chak Jalal Din, a locality along Girja Road showing the area has been hit by the dengue fever outbreak severely.

In-charge of Dengue Prevention and Control Cell at District Health Department Rawalpindi Dr. Sajjad expressed to ‘The News’ that the number of patients being reported positive for dengue fever from Kalyal and Dhama Syedan along Adiala Road is on the rise. After Chak Jalal Din, the two localities along Adiala Road are being reported worst hit, he said.

He added that the district health department is responding to all cases properly but still it is time for individuals to take preventive measures to avoid the spread of dengue fever.

It is important that many health experts have already feared a severe outbreak of dengue fever in this region of the country.

Experts say that if we fail in controlling the spread of the infection at the time, the situation may get worse in the next few days as the weather conditions in September and October are considered to be the most suitable for breeding and growth of dengue fever mosquitoes, ‘aedes aegypti’ and ‘aedes albopictus’.