Dengue infection does not spread from person to person. However, health workers should take contact precautions while taking care of the patients and must use gloves to avoid acquisition of any concomitant infection such as Hepatitis B and C," said Dr Afia Zafar, Associate Professor and Head Section of Microbiology at Aga Khan University.
She was addressing a seminar on 'Dengue Fever: What Every Family Physician Must Know', organised by Aga Khan University's Department of Pathology and Microbiology in collaboration with the Department of Medicine as part of continuing medical education for general practitioners on October 19, said a press release on Friday.
Dr Afia Zafar added that the disease transmission was only due to mosquito bite. Clinically suspected cases or even laboratory proven patients did not require isolation room or ward. Masks and aprons were not required during the nursing or examination of infected patients, she added.
Speaking on 'Dengue Infection in children', Dr Anita Zaidi, Associate Professor and Specialist Paediatric Infectious Diseases, AKU said that dengue fever was usually a mild disease but if appropriate care was not taken, serious complications could be developed in some children.
Pointing out that dengue fever had become epidemic in Karachi following the monsoons for the last two years, she stressed that during the epidemic season, any child, who had fever for more than two days, without a runny nose, and associated with rash on the face and body should be suspected for dengue fever.
She informed the health care practitioners that as a first step, a complete blood count should be done on the third day of illness. Development of swelling of the face, hands and feet, or bleeding from anywhere are signs that the infection is becoming serious and the child needs urgent attention and hospitalisation.
Because dengue fever could be confused with malaria and typhoid, malarial smear and blood culture was also needed, she added. While antibiotics have no role in curing the dengue fever, the child can make full recovery if he/she is kept hydrated.
Prevention is only possible by control of the mosquito, she said.
Dr M Aslam Khan, Assistant Professor and Consultant Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, said that the dengue infection manifests as fever with associated headache, muscle and joint pain, nausea/vomiting and rash. Fever lasts 5-6 days and terminates abruptly while fatigue lasts for several days after infection.
Dr Erum Khan, Assistant Professor, Pathology and Microbiology informed the audience that the first dengue virus infection in Pakistan was reported in 1994. Selected samples of dengue virus outbreak in 2005 were sent from Aga Khan University for serotyping and sequence analysis to Virology Lab of Health Protection Agency at UK.
Results had revealed that the current outbreak was due to a different serotype, which suggested that there was an increased risk of second more severe form of infection.
Dr Omrana Pasha, Assistant Professor, Community Health Sciences and Family Medicine discussed the prevention and control of dengue fever. "Places, which are crowded during the day, such as schools and hospitals, provide a venue where an Aedes aegypti mosquito can bite an infected person and subsequently, bite many other people gathered there, causing the infection to spread," she pointed out.
To facilitate prevention and control of the outbreak, Dr Pasha recommended a public information campaign, stressing the mode of transmission, personal protective measures like the use of repellent substances and the reduction of sources of mosquito breeding around the home and in neighbourhoods.
As a part of its social responsibility and commitment to the advancement of health research and education, the AKU regularly holds seminars, symposiums and events to raise awareness about health and education related issues, which are of national importance and interest, the statement concluded.-PR
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