SIALKOT-An expert disclosed that the medical researchers are still unaware of dengue’s mechanism to attack the human being as the virus has taken thousands of lives in the last couple of years while the local officialdom are satisfied with the anti-dengue arrangements in Sialkot district.
The medical researchers are confused on its two types which are Dengue Fever and Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever, said the deputy medical superintendent of Allama Iqbal Memorial Teaching Hospital, Sialkot. Dr Sheraz Masood said, “The virus is perhaps the most renowned antibody from the virus family in Pakistan. The virus’ main carrier is Aedes aegypti, a mosquito that is famous for its Alba. Alba is a Latin term which means white. There are white spots on the whole body of the mosquito and it is almost double the size of a normal mosquito. If a patient suffers from constant or periodic fever and complains for Myalgia or Muscular Pains, he is likely to be a dengue victim and must at once be taken to the nearest hospital for treatment.”
He maintained, “We take his complete blood test and check if the platelet count is normal which is 150 to 400. CBC also determines patient’s total leukocytes count or white blood cells count whose normal value is 4,000 to 11,000. If CBC values are found lesser than those of normal, it is likely to be a dengue patient.” About the test, he said that CBC is a private test which costs Rs150 at the Civil Hospital and Rs500 if it is taken from a private lab. If the patient is tested dengue positive, the rest of his treatment is free including the kits which have been provided by the government of Punjab. We take abdominal ultra sound and chest X-rays of the patient for confirmation, he added.
According to him, it is a viral infection on which no antibiotic works. “We only prescribe Paracitamol or Panadol to its patients. It does not bite in the night thus human body is safe from dengue at nights. If the patient is conscious and responding to the surroundings, his temperature is between 99 and 100 and fever intermittent coming off and on sometimes becoming high grade fever, the pulse is normal and temperature relieved by paracitamol, it is Dengue Fever or DF. It is not dangerous at all and we suggest lemon-mixed apple juice and other natural foods which enhance platelet count,” he said.
In case of Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever or DHF, he detailed, the patient will be suffering from hematemesis or projectile vomiting. He will have Melena and Hematochezia i.e. coffee color or fresh blood in the stool. Moreover, the patient will have Plural Effusion - water filled in outer cavity of the lungs - and Ascites i.e. water filled in the abdomen. It has no cure and the patient expires within 3 to 4 days.
“The strangest thing is that if a patient is injected with Fresh Frozen Plasma or white blood cells, his platelet count gets stable even in blood cancer but in DHF, FFP is useless,” he said and added, “We have taken all measures to meet any circumstances during April to October, peak time for dengue attacks, as a ward has been allotted and named as Dengue Ward in Allama Iqbal Memorial Teaching Hospital.
Khawaja Safdar Memorial Medical College Principal Dr Zafar Ali Chaudhry said, “We have launched Anti Dengue Students Forum in which all the students from first to fourth year MBBS will actively participate. Distributing Literature, pamphlets and hand bills have been sent for printing. Workshops will be held at rural health centers Sambrial and Kotli Loharan and basic health units of Badiana and Muradpur. We will visit the RHCs and BHUs on different days where students will give demonstrations to the local people on dengue. We will go door to door, distribute pamphlets and hand bills, take water samples, figure out dengue larva hideouts, take photographs and shoot the activity for reference.”
When asked, MNA Armaghan Subhani was satisfied with the preparations made by the Health Department. He mentioned a recent seminar arranged at Khawaja Safdar Memorial Medical College where the civil establishment and Health Department pledged to fight dengue to every extent. He lamented that recent weather change and heavy rains had provided dengue larva with new fields for reproduction but it will extinct till the upcoming summer.
EDO Health Dr Ziaul Hassan pledged to make an all-out effort to keep dengue out of Sialkot. He said that the hospitals had been equipped with high dependency units where doctors and paramedical staff were ready to tackle any situation. He explained that all the rural health centres had been provided with rapid diagnostic kits which are free of cost.