ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) has made all necessary arrangements to manage dengue cases keeping in view the prevailing high-risk season of disease spread in the coming days.

According to Dr Mubashir Mushtaq Daha, the Executive Director of Pims Prof Dr Rana Imran Sikandar has directed the hospital staff to ensure implementation of a plan prepared to handle dengue patients at the hospital. He asked them to remain on high alert and added that he will personally supervise all preparations to prevent patients from any inconvenience in treatment.

Dr Rana said that like previous years, the hospital will provide the best possible medical care to dengue patients this year. “The hospital is committed towards serving patients with full care and special steps have been taken in this regard,” Mr Daha said.

It is pertinent to mention here that dengue spreads by a mosquito bite and patients face deficiency of platelets due to which transfusion of platelets is required as the patient’s blood does not have normal clotting ability. If timely treatment is not provided, the disease may turn into life-threatening dengue hemorrhagic fever. Fever may lead to bleeding, low levels of platelets and blood plasma leakage, or into dengue shock syndrome – a dangerously low blood pressure.

Pakistan has experienced many dengue outbreaks since the first outbreak was observed in 1994. During the last two decades, three major outbreaks were reported in Pakistan including the one in 2005 in which over 6,000 cases with 52 deaths were reported from Karachi. In 2011, more than 21,000 cases were reported from Lahore with 350 deaths. Moreover, between 2011 and 2014, more than 48,000 laboratory confirmed cases of dengue were reported from across the country.

In 2019, the dengue outbreak had set an all time new record as during the year, over 50,000 cases of the mosquito-borne disease were reported and 79 persons lost their lives across the country.

Published in Dawn, June 2nd, 2023