Severe outbreak of dengue fever before May feared

Pakistan is likely to face a severe outbreak of dengue fever before May 2012, and the country has been placed at number one position by World Health Organisation (WHO) in Eastern Mediterranean region with respect to cases of dengue registered in the year 2011.
Informed sources told Business Recorder here on Tuesday that the mosquitoes that caused dengue fever could not breed during the cold weather but with winter almost over mosquitoes carrying the dengue virus seem to be evolving again. "It is expected that Pakistan will face an outbreak of dengue fever before May this year that may result in casualties", sources added.
Dengue fever can be caused by any one of four types of dengue virus: DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3, and DEN-4. Mosquitoes that cause dengue fever obtain virus when they feed on the blood of an infected person. An infected mosquito becomes capable of transmitting the virus for the rest of its life after the incubation of virus for seven to 10 days. The virus circulates in the blood of infected humans for two to seven days.
As many as 82 cases of unconfirmed dengue, 59 in Lahore alone, have been reported in Punjab within the past few days. Around 41 dengue-suspected patients have been admitted to Mayo Hospital Lahore, 13 to Ganga Ram Hospital, three to Services Hospital, one to Jinnah Hospital and one to Lahore General Hospital (LGH). Also at least five other cases were reported in Sheikhupura, three in Gujranwala, two in Sialkot.
Dengue viruses occur in tropical areas of the world. The symptoms of the dengue fever include headache, pain in the eyes, pain in the legs and joints during the first hours of illness, and high temperature as well as low blood pressure.
Sources said that a report titled 'Need Assessment Regarding Dengue in Pakistan' has already been designed by the Planning Commission in collaboration with the WHO in order to have a proper need assessment to combat the rapidly spreading dengue fever.
"Pakistan can not ever be free from dengue fever but it can be controlled to some extent," sources said while adding that Federal government had requested foreign assistance of more than Rs 970 million from donors to control rapidly spreading dengue fever in Pakistan (against Rs 1.6 billion projected to fight the epidemic) but nothing had been received so far in this regard.
"There are 65 countries of the world where cases of dengue attack are increasing with each passing day and Pakistan is one of them", sources disclosed. In order to control dengue fever, Pakistan has already started procuring WHO pre-qualified insecticides.