Pakistan registers 76,210 dengue cases, 136 deaths during ongoing year

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has registered as many as 76,210 dengue virus cases during the ongoing year, ARY News reported on Tuesday, quoting sources within National Institute of Health.

According to a detailed report prepared by the National Institute of Health (NIH), as many as 76,210 dengue virus cases with 136 deaths were reported countrywide from January 1 to December 5, 2022.

Sindh remains the highly infected province with 22,495 cases and 61 deaths of the mosquito-borne disease.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 22,799 dengue virus cases with 18 deaths followed by Punjab with 18,797 cases and 45 deaths.

Islamabad reported 5,392 cases of dengue virus and six deaths. Balochistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir reported 5,283 and 1,444 dengue cases, respectively.

Sources further say, no deaths were reported in Balochistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir during the current ongoing year.

Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral disease that has rapidly spread in recent years around the world. Dengue virus is transmitted by female mosquitoes mainly of the species Aedes aegypti and, to a lesser extent, Ae. albopictus.

SYMPTOMS

Dengue should be suspected when a high fever (40°C/104°F) is accompanied by 2 of the following symptoms during the febrile phase:

severe headache
pain behind the eyes
muscle and joint pains
nausea
vomiting
swollen glands
rash.

TREATMENT

There is no specific treatment for dengue fever.

Fever reducers and painkillers can be taken to control the symptoms of muscle aches and pains, and fever.

The best options to treat these symptoms are acetaminophen or paracetamol.
NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), such as ibuprofen and aspirin should be avoided. These anti-inflammatory drugs act by thinning the blood, and in a disease with risk of hemorrhage, blood thinners may exacerbate the prognosis.

For severe dengue, medical care by physicians and nurses experienced with the effects and progression of the disease can save lives – decreasing mortality rates from more than 20% to less than 1%. Maintenance of the patient’s body fluid volume is critical to severe dengue care. Patients with dengue should seek medical advice upon the appearance of warning signs.