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A day at the dengue ward
It is early in the morning, but already, there is a sense of chaos at the Benazir Bhutto Hospital in Rawalpindi. With dengue fever spreading, the hospital has set up a counter to facilitate incoming patients suffering from this dangerous and – if left untreated or misdiagnosed – potentially fatal disease.
Patients referred for dengue tests here are first registered at this desk. From there, they move to a nursing station where their blood pressure is checked. Next comes a trip to the hospital’s laboratory for a complete blood count (CBC) test. The lab is hot and crowded; there is only room for four people, including the nurse and the lab technician.