PESHAWAR: The cases of dengue fever with travel history to Rawalpindi and Karachi have been recorded in Bajaur Agency and Charsadda, according to officials associated with monitoring of dengue fever in the province.

They say that suspected dengue haemorrhagic fever cases continue to emerge as 56 more persons were admitted to Peshawar’s hospitals. They say that a total of 8,127 patients have been screened and 1,366 of them have been diagnosed positive so far.

The hospitals have admitted 629 patients and 348 of them have been sent home after treatment while 281 are still being treated. During the last 24 hours, 56 patients have been admitted to Peshawar-based hospitals.

Over 50 more admitted to hospitals in Peshawar

Two patients were admitted to agency headquarters hospital in Bajaur Agency on Wednesday. One of them had traveled to Karachi and another to Rawalpindi where dengue virus was in circulation.

“Lady Reading Hospital has 39 dengue patients, most of them in stable condition. All of them are being provided with free screening and treatment facilities,” Dr Khalid Masud, the director of LRH, told Dawn.

He said that they had assigned beds to the patients at medical ward where they were constantly examined. He said that the patients needed to stay safe from mosquitoes’ bites and use bed nets to prevent transmission of virus.

Dr Khalid said that the patients were getting free testing and treatment facilities at the hospital. He advised people to avoid mosquitoes’ bites and sprinkle kerosene oil on stagnant water pools to eliminate breeding sites for mosquitoes.

In Mansehra, 21 suspected patients were screened and two of them were tested positive and admitted for treatment. The district health office has started awareness sessions to inform people about the causes of the vector-borne ailment.

Dr Javed Tanoli, the medical superintendent of King Abdullah Teaching Hospital, told journalists on Wednesday that an isolation ward was set up for dengue patients at the hospital.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pervez Khattak has directed the authorities concerned to mobilise all the resources to prevent and eradicate the outbreak of dengue.

He said that government chalked out a strategy to motivate, mobilise and involve all government departments, organisations and communities to work in unison and put brakes on the disease.

According to a statement, Mr Khattak said that isolation wards were reserved throughout the province and directives were issued to the quarters concerned to ensure cleanliness and eliminate standing water.

He said that a draft public health emergency law would also be promulgated soon. He said that the piece of legislation was waiting vetting at the law department.

The statement said that it was revealed during a high level meeting that data regarding dengue patients was being exaggerated as majority of them were tested twice.

The meeting was also attended by PTI chairman Imran Khan, Additional Chief Secretary Mohammad Azam Khan, Health Minister Shahram Tarakai and Health Secretary Abid Majeed.

The meeting was told that the first patient diagnosed positive for dengue had come from Azad Kashmir to Peshawar.

The chief minister also approved appointment of sanitation staff on contract basis and directed the health department to procure whatever was required. Around 500 sanitation staffers will soon be recruited on emergency basis while cleanliness will be ensured everywhere in the city.

Published in Dawn, August 24th, 2017