Threat of dengue fever outbreak looms large

Rawalpindi: The population in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi may face a severe outbreak of dengue fever in the coming days depending on temperature, rainfall and rise in humidity.

The stage is almost set for an outbreak as 26 individuals have already been tested positive for dengue fever from the twin cities and the virus has already claimed a life in the federal capital. It is important that confirmation of patients from a region increases the chances of spread of dengue fever.

The dengue mosquitoes, ‘aedes aegypty’ and ‘aedes albopictus’ are vectors that cause dengue fever as the female mosquitoes carry one of the four types of dengue virus from the dengue patient to the healthy person and transmit the disease.

To date, a total of 12 patients have been confirmed positive from Rawalpindi district and 14 from Islamabad Capital Territory. The reporting of confirmed dengue fever patients in the last one month proves the existence of dengue fever vector in abundance in the region making the situation alarming.