SWABI/Chitral, Sept 27: Doctors at Shahmansoor Hospital Complex, Swabi, and district headquarters hospital, Chitral, have confirmed one case each of dengue fever in the two districts.

In Swabi, the patient was identified as Dost Mohammad, resident of Manki village of Chota Lahor tehsil.

When contacted, district health officer, Swabi, Dr Ihsan Akbar said that all symptoms of Dost Mohammad indicated that he had contracted dengue fever and they referred him to Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar. “We have also sent his blood sample to Islamabad for examination,” he said.

Sources said that a health team had been sent to Manki village for carrying out fumigation to prevent outbreak of dengue fever in the area.

“We face a difficult situation because we do not have a physician to deal with dengue cases. A physician was transferred from the hospital to Mardan a few days ago, but the doctor replacing him was reluctant to come here. There is no physician in the district hospitals who can handle dengue cases,” said Dr Akbar.

The sources said that two days ago the DHO and superintendents of the civil hospitals during a meeting with director general health, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, had raised the issue of unavailability of physician in the district.

It has been learnt that an isolation ward had also been established in Shahmansoor Hospital Complex for dengue patients.

IN Chitral, the first dengue fever patient was admitted to the DHQ hospital on Friday.

Sources in the hospital told Dawn that Shehla, 16, was brought to the outpatient department of the hospital on Friday morning for treatment of fever from Mroi Bala village. She was found positive for the dengue virus after diagnosis and admitted to the hospital, they said and added that Ms Shehla had arrived here from Mingora, Swat, four days ago.

Abdul Qadeer, elder brother of the patient, said that his sister lived in Mingora with her in-laws and had returned to Chitral a few days ago. He said that she suffered from fever on Thursday evening.

Dr Noorul Islam, MS of the hospital, said that arrangements had been made for dengue patients in the hospital keeping in view the proximity of the district to dengue-stricken districts of Swat and Dir. — Dawn Report