ISLAMABAD: A march was organised on Tuesday by the capital’s health department, the Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Medical University, the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) Nursing College and the Federal Medical College to raise awareness of dengue.

A number of people, including doctors, nurses and students, participated in the march, carrying banners and placards from to the National Press Club. They marched to Super Market in F-6 before returning to the press club, where a press conference was held.

Dengue fever, dengue hemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome have caused deaths in various parts of the world, and the disease was characterised as a viral infection in 1906.

Dengue is endemic in Pakistan, and its peak incidence occurs in the post-monsoon period. It was first reported as an undifferentiated fever in 1985 in Pakistan in children below the age of 16. In 2011, over 20,000 cases and 300 deaths were officially recorded due to dengue in Pakistan, which experts say reflect under-reporting.

Speaking at the press conference, Pims Vice Chancellor Dr Javed Akram said there is a high threat of a disease in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, so people should be very careful.

He said people should keep their homes clean, calling cleanliness the greatest resistance to dengue. “[People] should not leave fresh water in the house, as dengue mosquitoes lay eggs in fresh water,” he added.

He also said someone suffering from a fever who feels pain in their abdomen should only take paracetamol, instead of another medication.

Dr Akram said a rapid response team has been constituted for dengue, and health staff have been directed to contact this team in case of any problems while treating dengue patients.

“Although dengue cases may not be stopped completely, we want to make sure there is zero mortality because of the disease and are doing capacity building of health staff,” he added.

He emphasised the importance of early detection of dengue through simple tests, and said people should not panic by having every patient admitted as 95pc of patients get better without medical intervention.

He said only serious patients, suffering from low blood pressure, pain on the right side of the abdomen, who are pregnant or who are elderly should be admitted.

Dr Akram also announced a certified course for every lady health worker at Pims.

Epidemioloist and additional district health officer Dr Najeeb Durrani, while discussing simple measures to prevent mosquitoes, suggested wearing long sleeve clothing and applying mosquito repellent on exposed parts of the body when going outdoors in the evening.

He also suggested that lady health workers visit homes in the catchment areas of their communities to inform people about clearing solid waste inside and outside their homes, and clearing stagnant water from air coolers, refrigerator trays and flowerbeds, as well as covering water tanks and cisterns.

Published in Dawn, July 19th, 2017