TAXILA: The health authorities here on Thursday confirmed the death of a teenage girl from the mosquito-borne dengue hemorrhagic fever a day after she was admitted to a government hospital.

The patient from the Ismailia village in the Union Council Bhallar Jogi, Hassanabdal, died in a government hospital in Rawalpindi.

The 18-year-old first remained under treatment at a private hospital in Hassanabdal from where she was taken to the tehsil headquarters hospital Hassanabdal.

As her condition deteriorated, she was shifted to the government hospital in Rawalpindi where she died.

The quick response team of the district health department visited the tehsil headquarters hospital and found all the three officials of the laboratory absent.

Later, they took a lab technician from a private clinic to collect blood samples of the other family members of the deceased.

District Health Officer (DHO) Dr Ibadat Hussain confirmed to Dawn that the girl had died of dengue fever. He said an indoor residual spray (IRS) and fogging had been carried out in 40 houses located around the victim’s residence.

He said as a precautionary measure blood samples of the other 10 members of the family had been sent to the NIH Islamabad as they were also suffering from high fever.

In reply to a question, the DHO said the three absent laboratory staff had been suspended and action initiated against them under the Punjab Employees Efficiency, Discipline and Accountability Act.

Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2016