Snowy Owl
Retired in 2010, In Memoriam
Dengue fever hits Karachi
http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=26431
http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=26431
KARACHI: The death of two patients of Dengue Haemorrhage Fever (DHF) - one at Liaquat National Hospital and the other at Jinnah Hospital has been confirmed besides over a dozen such other patients have been admitted in various city hospitals.
There are 10 DHF patients under treatment at Liaquat National Hospital alone, sources informed apprehending that there could be more cases of DHF in private hospitals. According to medical experts, viral haemorrhage fevers are a group of illnesses that are caused by several distinct families of virus.
Some of them cause mild illness while others can cause severe, life threatening disease, which include Korean, Crimean-Congo, and Dengue haemorrhage fever. Dengue is a mosquito-borne infection, which in the recent years has become a major international public health concern while Congo fever is caused owing to bite of tick.
Dengue as well as Congo is found in the tropical and sub-tropical regions around the world eg in Pakistan, predominantly in the urban and sub-urban areas. DHF is often called ?Fever of Unknown Origin? as many of ordinary MBBS doctors are not acquainted with signs and symptoms of this lethal complication.
The medical experts said the dengue haemorrhage fever is characterised by a fever that lasts from two to seven days, with general signs and symptoms that could occur with many other illnesses eg, vomiting, abdominal pain and headache.
The afterwards symptoms are tendency to bruise easily or other types of skin sings, bleeding nose or gums while the smallest blood vessels (capillaries) become excessively passable, allowing the fluid component to escape from the blood vessels.
Dr Qaiser Sajjad, PMA General-Secretary (Karachi chapter) demanded, on behest of the PMA, of Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad and other concerned to take notice of stagnant water pools which have turned into a source of breeding mosquitoes in the metropolis and adopt remedial steps before the situation gets out control. He also underscored need to educate doctors on how to identify the diseases in question, as many of them may be unfamiliar with the symptoms or the treatment required.
There are 10 DHF patients under treatment at Liaquat National Hospital alone, sources informed apprehending that there could be more cases of DHF in private hospitals. According to medical experts, viral haemorrhage fevers are a group of illnesses that are caused by several distinct families of virus.
Some of them cause mild illness while others can cause severe, life threatening disease, which include Korean, Crimean-Congo, and Dengue haemorrhage fever. Dengue is a mosquito-borne infection, which in the recent years has become a major international public health concern while Congo fever is caused owing to bite of tick.
Dengue as well as Congo is found in the tropical and sub-tropical regions around the world eg in Pakistan, predominantly in the urban and sub-urban areas. DHF is often called ?Fever of Unknown Origin? as many of ordinary MBBS doctors are not acquainted with signs and symptoms of this lethal complication.
The medical experts said the dengue haemorrhage fever is characterised by a fever that lasts from two to seven days, with general signs and symptoms that could occur with many other illnesses eg, vomiting, abdominal pain and headache.
The afterwards symptoms are tendency to bruise easily or other types of skin sings, bleeding nose or gums while the smallest blood vessels (capillaries) become excessively passable, allowing the fluid component to escape from the blood vessels.
Dr Qaiser Sajjad, PMA General-Secretary (Karachi chapter) demanded, on behest of the PMA, of Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad and other concerned to take notice of stagnant water pools which have turned into a source of breeding mosquitoes in the metropolis and adopt remedial steps before the situation gets out control. He also underscored need to educate doctors on how to identify the diseases in question, as many of them may be unfamiliar with the symptoms or the treatment required.