30 More Dengue Patients Test Positive as Pakistan Grapples with Mosquito-borne Diseases

Rawalpindi is seeing as many as 30 new patients testing positive for dengue virus at hospitals, doctors confirmed on Sunday, adding they have started to increase bed space in their dengue wards to cater to the rising influx of patients, reported The Express Tribune.

With the latest case, the total number of people to have tested positive for the dengue virus from the city has topped 803, with health officials saying that most of the patients who were confirmed to have dengue hailed from Potohar Town.

According to The Express Tribune, the administration of three allied hospitals, including the Benazir Bhutto General Hospital (BBH), District Headquarters (DHQ) hospital and the Holy Family Hospital (HFH), have started working to increase the number of beds in dengue wards.

Speaking to The Tribune, BBGH Dengue Ward Focal Person Dr Inayat said that all patients admitted to the hospital were being provided with treatment as per the dengue standard operating procedures (SOPs), adding that they were adding a further 50 beds in their dengue ward due to the high influx of patients.

Commenting on the influx of dengue cases from Potohar Town Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) Public Health Officer Waris Bhatti has said that the dengue threat continues to plague the city. He further added that the anti-dengue campaign in cantonment and city areas was in full swing. The experts have suggested that public should take protective measures to protect themselves against dengue.

Meanwhile, an August 30 report by The Express Tribune revealed that two brothers of the Gulbahar Colony area died of dengue fever on Thursday, while their third brother has been admitted in hospital with symptoms of the viral disease.

According to Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid during his visit to HFH said that 5,000 people came to allied hospitals with symptoms of dengue fever, 900 tested positive while 619 were admitted. He further told the media that the worst-hit areas were Kot Jabbi, Gul Bahar Colony, Wakeel Colony, Dhok Munshi, Potohar Town, and Dhok Hassu.