PESHAWAR: The death toll from dengue outbreak in Peshawar reached eight on Friday after the mosquito-borne disease claimed a life at the Khyber Teaching Hospital.

The dengue patient, Mohammad Hussain, 60, was admitted to the KTH extensive care unit on Thursday.

He was a resident of Peshawar’s Tehkal area, which is the worst affected by the disease caused through the bite of the female mosquito. The initial cases of the disease were also reported in that area.

60-year-old resident of Peshawar’s Tehkal area died at KTH a day after admission

A doctor at the KTH confirmed the death of Mohammad Hussain and said the deceased was brought to the hospital a day ago in serious condition.

He said the dengue patient had died in the intensive care unit.

The doctor said Mr Hussain bitten by the dengue-causing mosquito few days ago remained under treatment at own house for two to three days.

He said the patient was later shifted to a private hospital, where he was treated for one day.

The doctor said when the patient’s condition deteriorated, he was shifted to the KTH, where he survived for 24 hours only.

“In the last 24 hours, 137 patients tested positive for dengue in the province,” Dr Irfan Khan, a member of the Dengue Response Unit established at the health department, told Dawn.

He said currently, 398 dengue patients were under treatment in the government hospitals in the province and among them were also 123 fresh cases.

Dr Irfan said 1,735 people had so far been diagnosed with the mosquito-borne disease across the province.

He said the centre of the dengue outbreak was Tehkal and its adjacent areas, while the sporadic cases had been reported in different parts of the province.

The deputy commissioner, who is the focal person for measures being taken to control the dengue outbreak, said efforts were under way to control the problem.

“We have made teams of 300 people from different departments, which have undertaken preventive measures against dengue in the city,” Saqib Raza Aslam told Dawn.

He said fumigation had been carried out in all houses of Tehkal, Pishtakhara and Sufaid Dheri areas.

“Besides fumigation, teams consisting of the health department men are also going from house to house in the affected areas to create public awareness of the ways and means to prevent dengue,” he said.

The deputy commissioner said the teams also distributed anti-mosquito body lotion and water purification tablets to the people living in the areas worst hit by dengue outbreak.

“Whenever a case of dengue fever is reported in other parts of the provincial capital, the teams immediately go there and conduct fumigation in the house of the patient,” he said.

Saqib Raza Aslam also said the teams also carried out fumigation in the 20 houses located next to the dengue patient’s.

“Until now, we have conducted fumigation in 8,000 houses, mostly those located in Tehkal area,” he said.

The deputy commissioner said a plan for the elimination of mosquito-breeding places in the provincial capital had also been made to prevent the further spread of dengue.

He said under the plan, shops selling used tyres and furniture factories would be targeted under the plan.

The deputy commissioner said an extensive awareness campaign against dengue had also been launched in government schools, colleges and universities.

He said lectures had been arranged about the causes, symptoms, prevention of dengue.

Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2017