Three more people succumb to dengue

Gradual decrease in the dengue epidemic is being observed, however, another three people lost their lives due to dengue virus raising the death toll in Punjab to 261 and 232 in Lahore.
Director Health Information Management System Dr Muhammad Anwar Janjua told reporters at media briefing regarding dengue at committee room of Fatima Jinnah Medical College, here on Friday that as many as 437 dengue patients have been cured and discharged from various hospitals of Lahore during the last 24 hours out of which 105 patients from Mayo Hospital, 64 from LGH, 19 from Government Mian Munshi Hospital, 33 from Services Hospital, 81 from Jinnah Hospital, 10 from Kot Khawaja Saeed Hospital, 120 from Sir Ganga Ram Hospital whereas five children have been discharged from Children Hospital.
Principal FJMC Professor Dr Rakhshanda Rehman, Professor of Medicine Dr Samina Akram, MS Sir Ganga Ram Hospital Dr Ijaz Ahmad Sheikh and other senior doctors were also present on this occasion.
Dr Janjua said that 242 confirmed dengue patients have been reported during the last 24 hours, out of them, 199 reported in Lahore. He further informed that mechanical and chemical methods are being used for dengue vector control and it was observed during vector surveillance that 97 percent places inside the houses and 94 percent places outside were found vector free.
He further said that case response indoor spray and other vector control activities were conducted in 2000 houses of 71 union councils of different towns. Moreover, CBC blood tests of 25364 patients have so far been performed at 10 different blood testing centres established in town level. Responding to a question, Principal FJMC Professor Rakhshanda Rehman said that guidelines and protocols have already been prepared for the treatment of dengue affected pregnant women.
She said that in normal cases, surgery of dengue affected women should be avoided and only in emergency cases, it could be performed with extra-ordinary care during which platelets and blood must be arranged for infusion to the patient. She observed that study showed that there are very few chances of transmission of dengue virus from pregnant women to her newly born baby.
MS Sir Ganga Ram Hospital Dr Ijaz Sheikh said that 59 patients with dengue hemorrhagic and dengue shock syndrome were admitted in DHU of the hospital out of them, 52 lives have been saved due to untiring efforts of the doctors and nurses. Dr Ijaz Sheikh further said that government has provided mega cell separator machine to the hospital, which has eased the provision of platelets to the patients.
He disclosed that during the start of epidemic, more than 3000 suspected patients were coming to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital but gradually the number of these patients has tremendously decreased but the last day, near about 1,100 patients visited the hospital.
Director Health Dr Anwar Janjua informed the media person that 18,034 dengue patients have so far been cured and discharged from different hospitals of Punjab, out of which, 15,408 belonged to Lahore. He informed that the total number of dengue patients in Punjab is 18,300 out of them 15,609 reported in Lahore whereas 1,385 patients were admitted in various hospitals of Punjab out of which 1,052 were under treatment in the hospitals of Lahore.