Dengue cases dwindle in changing weather conditions in federal capital

• Spokesman FGPC Dr Sharif Astori expressed the hope that an abrupt drop in the dengue cases is further likely due to further decrease in mercury.
• He said that the hospital has provided free medical treatment to 3,881 confirmed dengue patients so far.
• He added the clinical features of dengue fever vary according to the age of the patient.

ISLAMABAD: When dengue epidemic has gripped most cities of the country, the citizens of federal capital have breathed a little sign of relief as the number of incoming dengue patients at Federal Government Polyclinic (FGPC) has come down.

Spokesman FGPC Dr Sharif Astori claimed that the changing weather condition has resulted decline in number of incoming dengue patients to the hospital due to gradually drop of mercury in the city.

He expressed the hope that an abrupt drop in the dengue cases is further likely due to further decrease in mercury.

He however said that the danger of carrying disease is still existed. He said that the dengue virus grows and spreads faster at higher temperature, but slows when temperature are lower or fluctuate.

He added under the coolest conditions, at 18 degrees centigrade, the virus grew very slowly and did not spread to salivary glands, reducing the chance that the mosquitoes could transmit it to humans.

He said that the growth of the aedes aegypti mosquito will stop with the fall of temperature, however, the rate of decline has been slower than expected, he added.

He said that the hospital has provided free medical treatment to 3,881 confirmed dengue patients so far.

He added 99 patients were still admitted in the hospital and receiving medical treatment out of which two were in serious conditions.

He said so far six dengue patients had lost their lives from the disease at the hospital. He said 10,199 suspected dengue patients visited the hospital with disease like symptoms.

He said by taking special preventive measures citizens could avoid from carrying dengue virus and asked the citizens to properly dispose of solid waste and stop water storage practices at their residences to prevent any access to egg-laying female mosquitoes.

He said mosquitoes breed primarily in containers like earthenware jars, metal drums and concrete cisterns used for domestic water storage, as well as discarded plastic food containers, used automobile tyres and other items that collect rain water.

He said dengue viruses are transmitted to humans through the bites of infective female Aedes mosquitoes. He added mosquitoes generally acquire the virus while feeding on the blood of an infected person.

He said the virus circulates in the blood of infected humans for two to seven days, at approximately the same time as they suffer from fever. He added the clinical features of dengue fever vary according to the age of the patient.

Dr Astori said after virus incubation for eight to ten days, an infected mosquito is capable, during probing and blood feeding, of transmitting the virus to susceptible individuals for the rest of its life.

He said dengue hemorrhagic fever is a potentially deadly complication that is characterized by high fever, hemorrhagic phenomena. He said dengue is a mosquito-borne infection, which in recent years has become a major public health concern.