RAWALPINDI: A dengue patient died at the Holy Family Hospital (HFH) in Rawalpindi on Tuesday, bringing the total number of fatalities to five in the city.

Anwar Bibi, 49, was brought to the Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH) on Wednesday suffering from dengue shock syndrome. She was shifted to HFH when her condition worsened and died on Thursday.

HFH medical superintendent Dr Raja Shafique confirmed that the patient died on Thursday. BBH medical superintendent Dr Asif Qadir Mir told Dawn that the patient was admitted to the hospital and was shifted to HFH according to standard operation procedure (SOP).

He said that all patients suffering from dengue shock syndrome were treated at HFH, which had better facilities.

In Islamabad, 15 dengue patients were discharged from the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims), and only three patients remain at the hospital.

Pims media coordinator Dr. Waseem Khawaja told Dawn that this season has seen 250 patients treated at the out-patient department, the emergency ward and in hospital wards.

“We have made elaborate arrangements for dengue patients at the hospital and have reserved the isolation ward to treat dengue-related cases. 30 beds were reserved for dengue patients, which can be increased to 100 in case of an outbreak,” he said. He added that the situation in Islamabad is not critical.

Meanwhile, the number of dengue patients has increased to 19 in Taxila and Wah Cantonment, the highest ever in the history of the city.

District Officer (Health) Dr Arshad Ali Sabir visited the Tehsil Headquarters (THQ) Hospital in Taxila on Wednesday to inspect the measures taken by local health authorities to counter the spread of the dengue virus in the city.

Dr Sabir evaluated the performance of monitoring and surveillance teams formed by the health department for door-to-door inspections of mosquito larvae in domestic premises.

Speaking to the media, he confirmed that 19 patients from Taxila tehsil have tested positive for the dengue virus and have been admitted to various government-run hospitals in Rawalpindi.

Dr Sabir directed the THQ hospital to set up an isolation room for dengue patients. “We are closely monitoring areas that have been declared ‘high-risk’ zones and are taking stern action against those violating standard operating procedures (SOPs),” he said.

Dr Sabir said that surveillance teams are in the field to control the situation, and pairs of officials are working on indoor surveillance in the district. He said the health department had intensified its campaign against the dengue virus and that he hoped the situation would be under control from next week.

Published in Dawn, October 16th, 2015

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