Another 6 die of dengue fever at allied hospitals taking tally to 13

Rawalpindi : Dengue fever has claimed another six lives here in town at two of the three teaching hospitals causing great panic not only among patients and their attendants but also among residents in almost all localities in the region.The total number of deaths so far caused by the infection at the allied hospitals this month reached 13. The first dengue fever patient died at Holy Family Hospital on September 6 and to date, the infection has claimed seven lives at HFH while six patients have so far died of dengue fever at Benazir Bhutto Hospital.Data collected by ‘The News’ on Sunday has revealed that in last 72 hours, the infection claimed two lives at HFH and four at BBH while a total of 717 confirmed patients of dengue fever reported at the three allied hospitals taking the total number of patients so far tested positive at HFH, BBH and District Headquarters Hospital to 5,227.On Sunday, the three teaching hospitals have been waiting for confirmatory results in as many as 180 probable cases of dengue fever while 819 patients were undergoing treatment at the hospitals including 597 confirmed cases and 201 patients suffering from dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF), a complicated form of the infection while five patients were admitted with dengue shock syndrome (DSS), the most severe form of the infection.Medically, DHF is characterized by high grade fever, damage to lymph and blood vessels, bleeding from the nose and gums, enlargement of the liver, and failure of the circulatory system. The symptoms may progress to massive bleeding, shock, and death. This is called dengue shock syndrome (DSS). People with weakened immune systems as well as those with a second or subsequent dengue infection are believed to be at greater risk of developing DHF.According to health experts, the situation is getting more and more alarming because of the rise in number of cases with DHF and DSS while there is almost no control over spread of the infection. It seems as the government authorities have been working on counting patients only and doing nothing to put a check on the infection’s spread.To date, the allied hospitals have tested a total of 5,227 patients positive of which 2,715 patients have been confirmed positive at the HFH, 1,416 at BBH and 1,096 at DHQ Hospital.It is important to mention here that well over 1,800 patients confirmed positive at the allied hospitals are residents of the federal capital though they received treatment at the allied hospitals while six of the 13 patients so far died at the allied hospitals have been confirmed as residents of Islamabad rural areas.

from The News International - Islamabad https://ift.tt/2mVi8ka