MARDAN/SWABI, Sept 8: The number of dengue patients has reached to 22 in Mardan district, according to health officials.

Dr Ameer Khan, district coordinator for the disease, told Dawn that presently 16 dengue patients including three women were admitted to the isolation ward of Mardan Medical Complex. He said four patients were discharged after completion of their treatment while two fled the hospital.

Dr Ameer said that out of the 16 admitted patients three were shifted to Mardan from Swat for treatment. Five others belonged to Jalala, Shergar and Lundkhwar areas, he said, adding that they were affected by dengue in Swat when they visited the valley for some necessary work.

He said that the rest of the patients were affected by dengue in different areas of Mardan. He, however, said that all the 16 patients were out of danger.

“We carry out fumigation drive in the area to which a patient belongs before discharging him from the hospital,” Dr Ameer said.

The authorities have constituted teams, supervised by public health department and tehsil municipal administration, to carry out surveys of different areas and launch fumigation drive there.

In Swabi, people from walks of life have demanded of the health authorities to take precautionary measures to thwart outbreak of dengue in the district. The arrival of a dengue patient from Swat three days ago created panic among the health officers and people of the district. The patient, Alamzeb Khan alias Jananan, belongs to Karnal Sher Khan Kallay. He was taken to district headquarters hospital from where his family shifted him to Peshawar for treatment.

Jehanzeb Khan, former district nazim, told Dawn that health authorities should educate people about the dengue virus and precautionary measures. In addition, he said, anti-mosquito spray should be immediately carried out in the entire district.

Roohul Amin, a social worker, said that district health authorities should establish isolated wards for dengue patients in both Shahmansoor Hospital Complex and district headquarters hospital. However, sources said that health officials had already discussed the issue and establishment of isolated wards in both the hospitals was on the cards. The health officials said that establishment of wards was not difficult task but there was no physician in both the hospitals.

Dr Mohammad Shafiq, medical superintendent of DHQ hospital, said that the lone physician at the hospital was transferred to Mardan. The physician transferred from Mardan had not reached the hospital owing to unknown reasons, he added.