RAWALPINDI: As the monsoon reaches its peak, three government-run hospitals have activated their dengue wards due to dengue patients arriving in the garrison city.

According to official data, two people arrived in hospitals with high fever and other symptoms of dengue virus from Potohar Town and cantonment areas respectively, while other suspected patients arrived in hospitals from downtown areas.

One patient was admitted to Social Security Hospital while another was discharged from a private hospital.

According to district health authority officials, from January 1 to August 2, a total of 32 confirmed patients of dengue virus were reported in Rawalpindi city and cantonment areas, however, no deaths have so far been reported.

In the same period in 2022, 19 cases were reported in the garrison city while in 2023, 30 confirmed cases surfaced.

Deputy Commissioner (DC) Dr Hassan Waqar Cheema said that the health authority teams found hot spots of dengue larvae and mosquitoes in workshops, under-construction buildings and hotels. He said the administration had asked the relevant authorities to remove stagnant water from the streets and roads.

He further said the provincial government had directed the administration to expedite efforts to avoid the spread of dengue in the city.

Three government-run hospitals including Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH), Holy Family Hospital and District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital have activated their dengue wards and established special counters to deal with dengue patients.

“The dengue counters have been established in emergency departments and outdoor patient departments in government-run hospitals,” said the deputy commissioner while talking to Dawn.

When contacted, BBH Medical Superintendent Dr Tahir Rizvi said while a dengue counter had been established in the emergency department, the hospital received no patient in the last two days.

He said at present, Holy Family Hospital was under construction and its 10 departments had been shifted to BBH. Therefore, it was decided that dengue patients would be admitted to Red Crescent Hospital until August 15, where 70 beds are available.

Published in Dawn, August 3rd, 2024