KARACHI, Nov 9: Speakers at a training seminar on dengue fever held here at a local hospital said that from 50–100 million cases of dengue fever, there were 500,000 cases of DHF/ DSS (severe form of the disease); out of this, more than 20,000 died each year.

Up to 2.5 per cent patients die once they contract dengue haemorrhagic fever, they added saying that the cause of deaths among these patients is uncontrolled bleeding due to low platelets count.

The speakers told the participants at the Bismillah Taqee Institute of Health Sciences and Blood Diseases Centre that white blood cells acted as soldiers in our bodies.

They were of the view that platelets were our first line defense. When they are reduced in number, our body is at high risk of getting bacterial and other opportunistic infections, they informed.

It was said that dengue virus might cause destruction of platelets leading to a very low platelet count and the patient might start bleeding externally or internally.

The participants were informed that first time donors might be apprehensive and feel numbness and tingling on their lips and dryness of the mouth.

“Otherwise there are no immediate or delayed side effects. Their platelets recover to normal within 24 hours,” it was said.