KARACHI, Oct 22: A majority of dengue fever patients admitted to various hospitals in the city had already used antibiotics or anti-malaria drugs before their admission to hospitals which complicated their case as these medicines had served to reduce platelet counts further”, said Dr Irfan Ahmed Khan about the 116 dengue patients brought to the Ziauddin Hospital over the past few weeks.

He presented his study at the multi-faculty presentation on “Causes, Signs, Symptoms and Measures for Prevention of Dengue Fever” held at the Ziauddin Hospital, North Nazimabad Campus, in collaboration with the Infection Control Society of Pakistan.

He said his patients had a common history of fever, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain and some of them complained of cough, diarrhoea and severe headache. Facial flushing, erythema and lymphadenopathy were also common in most of these cases.

The mosquito responsible for dengue fever breeds on the surface of clean water and is a household insect which may infect all family members present around with a mild to severe form of the disease.

Dr Khan stressed the need for the formation of a regional authority to maintain a data and analyse the situation, pointing out that all the guidelines issued by the WHO were based on the studies performed in other countries of Southeast Asia.

Dr Naseem Salahuddin, In-charge of the Infection Control Disease Department of the Liaquat National Hospital said that although the data collected at the LNH was not completely analysed, it came with the same facts and figures. She appreciated the efforts put in by private hospitals in spearheading a campaign against this epidemic.

She stressed on strengthening surveillance, preparing a contingency plan, creating awareness in community, launching vector control campaigns and combining resources to combat this deadly epidemic successfully.

Dr Faisal Mehmood of the SIUT said that dengue had first been diagnosed in 1944 while the first case in Asia had been reported in 1980. The first dengue case in Pakistan was reported in 1994 and at present, such cases are in the category of serotype 1 and 2 infections.

Dengue hemorrhagic fever causes leaking of blood vessels and ultimate bleeding from nose, mouth gums etc.

The speakers on the occasion suggested preventive measures, such as using nets and mosquito repellents, avoiding use of open flowerpots and earthenware water containers, spraying insecticide in and around houses, keeping water storage tanks and pots properly covered, and ensuring no accumulation of water at any place or in any container.—PPI