Around 511 suspected patients of dengue fever have been registered in allied hospitals during this season while 21 patients with confirmed dengue virus were given medical treatment, said Holy Family Hospital (HFH) Deputy Medical Superintendent (DMS) Dr Javed Hayat.
So far, as many as 1,329 patients visited Out Patient Departments (OPDs) of allied hospitals with dengue fever fear while 37 patients visited dengue OPDs during last 24 hours, he said.
As many as 31 dengue suspects were also registered with four confirmed dengue patients during the period, he added.
Around 11 patients, six in HolyFamilyHospital and five in Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH) were admitted during the last 24 hours, he said.
Out of total 511 dengue fever suspected patients, medical tests of 482 patients remained negative while 8 patients’ results were still awaited.
Just 21 patients, 15 admitted in HFH and six in BBH with positive report were provided medical treatment and have been discharged.
Total 263 patients were registered in HFH, 213 in BBH and 35 in District Headquarters Hospitals, he said.
To a question, he said that maximum arrangements for the medical treatment of dengue fever patients have been made in HFH. He said all possible preventive measures should be adopted to avert dengue virus.
Dr Hayat said dengue fever was a disease caused by a family of viruses that were transmitted by mosquitoes. It is an acute illness of sudden onset that usually follows other symptoms such as headache, fever, exhaustion, severe muscle and joint pain, swollen glands and rash. Other signs of dengue fever include bleeding gums, severe pain behind the eyes, and red palms and soles, he added.
Dengue strikes people with low levels of immunity. Because it is caused by one of four serotypes of virus, it is possible to get dengue fever multiple times. However, an attack of dengue produces immunity for a lifetime to that particular serotype to which the patient was exposed, he informed.
The virus is contracted from the bite of a striped Aedes Aegypti mosquito that has previously bitten an infected person. The mosquito flourishes during rainy seasons but can breed in water-filled flower pots, plastic bags, and cans year-round.