Rawalpindi [Pakistan], September 28 : Pakistan recorded 41 new patients of dengue in three government-run hospitals on Saturday, with a total of 127 patients currently under treatment, Dawn reported on Sunday.
According to Dawn, during the current season, 12,941 patients visited the outpatient departments of the three hospitals, 2,218 were admitted to dengue wards, and 1,128 were confirmed dengue cases.
A senior doctor at Holy Family Hospital told Dawn that hospitals have arranged additional beds in case of emergencies. He said that, as per directives of the Pakistan Punjab government, treatment is being provided to patients from Islamabad and other districts as well. He told Dawn that the district hospitals in Jhelum, Chakwal, and Attock refer serious cases to Holy Family Hospital.
Citing the data compiled by Rawalpindi Medical University (RMU), Dawn noted that 448 patients visited the outpatient departments of Holy Family Hospital, Benazir Bhutto Hospital, and Rawalpindi Teaching Hospital. Of them, 41 tested positive for dengue.
Dengue fever, transmitted by the Aedes mosquito, has been a recurring threat in Pakistan, particularly during the monsoon season. Health experts continue to urge authorities to ramp up preventive measures, including mosquito control programmes, to combat the spread of the disease.
Dengue, as described by the World Health Organisation (WHO), is an infectious disease that affects people through mosquito bites. Currently, more than half of the population of the world is threatened with the disease, with the forecasted epidemic being in the number of 100-400 million cases per year.
"Prevention and control of dengue depend on vector control. There is no specific treatment for dengue/severe dengue, and early detection and access to proper medical care greatly lower fatality rates of severe dengue," the WHO said.
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