PESHAWAR: The health department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is taking technical assistance from the mobile health units sent by Punjab government to put brakes on the outbreak of haemorrhagic dengue fever, which has killed five people besides sending 1,000 others to hospitals during the past one month.

Most of the cases of dengue fever have been reported in Tehkal village.

“We are receiving 90 per cent of the patients, who are from same families but they have not been tested or treated previously,” Dr Matloob, administrator of the Mianwali mobile unit, told this correspondent.

He said that Punjab had sent two mobile units to help control spread of vector-borne disease due to circulation of virus during the last two weeks. “On Sunday, we found 43 new cases in Tehkal area during the camp. These people hadn’t been to doctors for any treatment before,” he said.

Dr Matloob says 250 patients examined at free medical camp in Tehkal on first day

Dr Matloob said that their 15-member team of doctors, epidemiologists, entomologists and paramedics would stay as long as the host department needed its services. He said that two new mobile units were on way that would be deployed in Speena Wrhai and other places from where cases were coming. He said that suspected people should be tested to exclude dengue virus as cause in any area of the city. “We are receiving directives from Lahore,” he added.

Dr Matloob said that the Punjab government set up mobile health units in six districts as a project seven years ago that did a lot of work on epidemics and natural and man-made disasters and public health emergencies.

He said that the health units were sent to assist Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in dealing with dengue fever. “A total of 250 patients were examined by our doctors at the free medical camp in Tehkal on the first day,” he said. He added that patients were of all ages including children, young and elderly people as anyone bitten by infected mosquito became a dengue patient.

“We are working in collaboration with the local nazim to ensure that people from affected areas are all tested. Public information about signs and symptoms and causes of the sickness are important to overcome the outbreak,” said Dr Matloob. The KP directorate of health services would lead the anti-dengue measures with the support of Punjab as was agreed in a meeting held on Sunday.

“We held a technical meeting with a delegation of Punjab health team and appreciated coordination about prevention of the disease,” Dr Shabina Raza, the director-general health services, told Dawn.

She said that assistance within provincial government’s departments was a common feature in many areas including emergencies and other projects. “We are fully prepared to handle the situation with the technical know-how of Punjab mobile units,” she said.

The disease was reported in July in Tehkal and bulk of patients were diagnosed and treated at Khyber Teaching Hospital where about 100 patients are still being treated in isolation wards and in private rooms.

Officials said that members of Punjab team also visited KTH and shared information about line of treatments with medics there.

Published in Dawn, August 21st, 2017