HYDERABAD, Nov 5 Administration of Civil Hospital Hyderabad (CHH) has set up an isolation ward for dengue fever patients in the burns ward and cramped burns patients in groups of three in a room each in the upper story of the ward. The ground floor of burns ward was whitewashed before setting up the isolation ward ahead of Sindh health secretary's visit to the hospital on Thursday.

The hospital had first set up the isolation ward for dengue patients in a separate block which had already been declared dangerous.

The administration decided to set up the ward for dengue fever patients as per directives of health officials without intimating in-charge of the burns ward.

According to plastic surgeon Prof Dr Razzak Memon infection in burns spread due to overcrowding. “That's why burns patients are to be kept in isolation. Their wounds need proper management to protect them from infection,” he said.

Two to three burn victims with their attendants have been stuffed in each room.

The dengue patients were kept in medical ward and even in the ENT ward until Thursday but from now onwards they were being kept in the isolation ward under nets although no isolation ward was needed for them, according to health experts.

Dr. Imran Shaikh said that dengue patients were not required to be kept under nets or in isolation ward. “They just need to kept under observation to avoid dehydration. Their platelets need to be checked regularly,” he said.

But medical superintendent of the hospital, Dr Nawaz Abbasi, insisted that the isolation ward was necessary to avoid transmission of dengue virus. “It was a directive from high-ups that the isolation ward should be set up,” he said.

He said that burns victims did not need isolation because their wounds were covered. The situation would improve by Nov 15 and dengue fever cases would start declining by then, he said, adding that 25 platelet kits had been made available on Wednesday night.

By Thursday 11 dengue patients were admitted to different hospitals of the city, eight to civil hospital, one to Shah Bhitai hospital and one each to Hilal-i-Ahmer and Bin Tayyab hospitals.

According to civil hospital's focal person, Dr. Rasheed, condition of Tasleem from Tando Adam, a dengue fever patient, was At present, only one cell separator is working in the civil hospital to prepare platelets.

NEW DENGUE CASES Nine more dengue fever patients belonging to Hyderabad and interior of the province reported at the Hyderabad civil hospital on Friday, bringing number of confirmed dengue cases at the hospital to 141.

The new cases included civil hospital's store keeper Daim Korejo, Ms Tayyaba Jamil, Syed Khadim Hussain, Faheem Ahmed, Faizan, Imtiaz Soomro, Mohammad Arif (Shahdadpur), Abdul Shakoor Magsi (Tando Mohammad Khan) and Lal Bux (Ghotki). According to figures obtained from the office of the Director General of Health, a total of 4,094 suspected cases were reported at different government hospitals right from Karachi to Shikarpur.