‘Most dengue patients don’t need hospitalisation’

Medical experts have said that a majority of dengue fever patients do not need hospitalisation. Complete rest at home with proper treatment and the patient recovers within 8 to 10 days. Dengue patients should take liquids, lemon water in access quantity.
Addressing a public awareness seminar on dengue at the Institute of Public Health, IPH Dean Yaqoob Qazi said that rapid growth in population and haphazard development in housing sector created various health problems and without proper planning of sanitation these issues are growing rapidly. He said that due to overpopulated urban areas, more or less ten people are living in a single room. Qazi said that population planning is need of the hour to overcome our growing problems. The IPH dean said that every second person is suffering from blood pressure and out of six three persons are diabetic. He said that instead of spending huge budget on expansion of treatment facilities we will have to focus on prevention side otherwise all budget would be spent on establishing more factories of insulin and blood pressure tablets in the coming days.
Qazi said that dengue fever is a public health problem, which would only be overcome by joint efforts of all stakeholders and with active participating of the community. He said that business mafia has created unnecessary fear and harassment among people regarding availability of platelet kits. The IPH dean said that only 2 to 3 percent dengue patients need infusion of platelets and patients having platelets less than 20,000 need hospitalisation. Qazi proposed that health education subject should be included in school syllabus to create awareness regarding hygiene. Punjab Chief Bacteriologist Dr Zarfishan Tahir said that according to direction of the CM, free diagnostic facility is being provided to dengue patients in IPH labs.