ISLAMABAD, Dec 25: An ailing medical specialist was admitted to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) here on Thursday after preliminary tests suggested that he was suffering from dengue fever.

The hospital administration told Dawn that 53-year-old Dr Umar Hayat, a resident of Dera Ismail Khan, was brought to Pims with high fever and severe body pain.

The doctor was also bleeding from gums and there were also traces of blood in urine.

Medial tests were carried out at a private laboratory, which suggested that Dr Hayat was suffering from dengue fever.

Dr Hayat was being kept in an isolated room at the hospital’s private ward. He is under continuous observation.

The medical practitioner’s blood samples were also sent to the National Institute of Health (NIH) for verification of the test results.

Pims administration said Dr Hayat’s condition was out of danger but still critical. The platelets count of the patient is 75,000, whereas the minimum standard count is 150,000.

Dr Umar Hayat is stationed in Fiji Islands as a medical specialist and he came to Dera Ismail Khan two weeks ago to meet his mother.

Later, he went to Karachi on a private visit where he is believed to have contracted the dengue virus.

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