PIMS confirms four patients with dengue fever.

ISLAMABAD, October 08, 2009 (Balochistan Times): Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) on Thursday confirmed that four patients with dengue fever are admitted in the hospital for treatment including one from federal capital. According to hospital sources, the blood samples which were sent to the National Institute of Health (NIH) for investigation reported positive after which the patients have been shifted to isolation wards. They said the patients admitted in isolation wards include Astan Khan (50) resident of Abbottabad, Muhammad Rizwan (22) Haripur, Safeer (17) from Golra and Mursaleen (5) from Islamabad. They said the hospital has started treatment of patients and bearer-nursing has been adopted and a team of doctors including Dr. Nighat Bilal, Dr. Jamal Zafar and Dr. Iqtada Haidar Sherazi are providing medical treatment to the patients. Health experts said that dengue is a mosquito-borne infection which in recent years has become a major public health concern. They said dengue is found in tropical and sub-tropical regions, predominantly in urban and semi-urban areas. They said dengue is transmitted by the bite of an Aedes mosquito infected with any one of the four dengue viruses while symptoms appear in 3-14 days (average 4-7 days) after the infective bite. They added dengue fever is severe, flu-like illness that affects infants, young children and adults. They said there is no specific treatment for dengue fever however, careful clinical management by experienced physicians and nurses frequently saves the lives of dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) patients. They added with appropriate intensive supportive therapy, mortality may be reduced to less than 1%.

(THROUGH ASIA PULSE)