Sunday, October 29, 2006

Dengue fever: a lethal outbreak

[By Qurat ul ain Siddiqui]

DENGUE fever, known to health experts for more than 200 years and now turning into a health issue of epic proportions, used to be known as the break-bone fever because of the severe joint and muscle pains it caused which made the patient feel as if his/her bones were breaking.

Dengue isn’t really a novel phenomenon as far as South Asia is concerned, though it is an older one for Africa. More recently, India has also been severely affected by the virus with the death toll from dengue exceeding 100 (more than 30 dead in Delhi only) along with more than 5,000 people admitted to hospitals as “dengue-positive” patients. This initial outbreak eventually turned into an epidemic and it is now expected that the toll may exceed that of 1996 when it claimed more than 400 lives and left more than 10,000 people infected. A similar situation is also developing in Latin America and the Carribean. Cuba and the Dominican Republic are some of the more affected Latin American countries victimised by the infection with thousands of people contracting it (along with the ones suffering from dengue haemorrhagic fever or DHF) during the past few years. DHF is mostly a disease of the tropical and sub-tropical regions and even in those areas it is more likely to be found in the more densely populated places.

Dengue is commonly said to occur in two forms: as dengue fever and as dengue haemorrhagic fever. Dengue fever is an acute flu-like condition which affects people of all ages but is very seldom fatal. On the other hand, DHF is a more dangerous, even lethal form of dengue. The two are essentially forms of Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers (VHFs) – a group of illnesses that are caused by a distinct families of viruses, transmitted to humans by an infected female mosquito Aedes Aegypti, which is commonly known as the Yellow Fever Mosquito. It has the capability and the capacity to host various viruses such as the dengue fever virus (known as the arbovirus that is predominantly transmitted by mosquitoes and ticks), Chikungunya (a much rarer form of viral fever) virus and the yellow fever virus.

One must point out here that it is the mosquitoes that become infected with the virus when they bite infected humans. Oddly enough, this particular mosquito breeds only in clean water containers like barrels, buckets, drums, tanks, flower vases, water coolers, discarded tires, toilet bowls and other such places, including the ones where rainwater collects, which is a practice contrary to that of the malaria-causing mosquito that thrives and procreates in dingy waters.

Dengue is infectious, with the first symptoms occurring during initial five to seven days after being bitten by the infected Aedes Aegypti mosquito. It is characterised by a sudden onset of high fever accompanied by severe headaches, muscle and joint ache, nausea and vomiting as well as rashes. The dengue rash is usually bright red in colour, occurring initially on the lower limbs and the chest and in some cases which then spreads to most of the body. Some cases also involve loss of appetite and the ability to taste things. In certain severe cases, the Sindh Health Department advisory states that the patient may bleed from the mouth, nose, in the vomit or stool, as a result of internal or external bleeding. Symptoms, however, may not be the same for all cases as some cases develop milder indicators which can be misdiagnosed as flu or some other viral infection and later develop into a more serious, even deadly form of the disease. It is for this reason that people may pass on the disease unwittingly until someone with more conspicuous symptoms is discovered, said a local medical practitioner, though dengue patients are usually believed to spread the infection only through mosquitoes or blood products and that too as long as they are feverish.

However, all dengue patients undergo a progressive decrease in their blood platelet count which worsens the condition in cases where bleeding has already started and poses an imminent threat to the ones who aren’t already bleeding, but their condition might worsen. Since bleeding with the low platelet count takes a non-stop turn, an ample supply of platelets and blood is required which may not always be available everywhere all the time. Also, all dengue patients are required to get a blood test done every day to see if the platelets count is getting better.

According to the World Health Organisation (Who), DHF, a more acute form of dengue, has a five per cent mortality rate though this may increase if the cases are not properly handled and treated. On the other hand, with proper treatment and therapy mortality rates may be minimised. Also, according to a Who report, people at a higher risk for dengue transmission are children, travellers and tourists, whereas adults residing in endemic areas are also susceptible to contracting the disease.

There is no vaccine that can effectively and entirely cure dengue, though research is being conducted in this area with the use of biotechnology and genetic engineering. According to a Who document, “a live, attenuated, vaccine for all four types of dengue is now in clinical trials in Thailand,” which is where it was first recognised in the ’50s (along with Philippines) during dengue epidemics, whereas now it has spread to many Asian and Latin American regions.

The only effective and available way of controlling and eventually eliminating the disease is by destroying the mosquito breeding places along with effectively treating patients identified as carriers. These patients can at best be given plenty of fluids and measures should be taken to control their fever. With quick and careful treatment, most patients may survive without having to go through blood transfusion. As for the Aedes Aegypti’s breeding places, they can be eliminated by various means such as by tightly covering water storage containers, draining rainwater regularly and disposing off garbage. Even though the virus may survive without the host as well as within, precautionary measures are advised to be taken as seriously as possible, even required.

Karachi presently has, according to official estimates, more than 800 people suspected of being dengue-positive. About 100 new cases were reported last week in different hospitals of the city, whereas more than a hundred people have been discharged during the past few days. However, the average number of dengue case registration has gradually increased over the past few weeks and is still on the rise. One of the first reported deaths this year (in early October), however, was that of a man in his ’40s from Karachi’s Akhtar Colony.

It is hard to determine, let alone tell, who was the first infectee and from where it all started as far as Karachi is concerned, though a young doctor working at a local government hospital spoke of another doctor who died of DHF no less than six months ago, which indicates that the dengue that we see today is, possibly, no sudden phenomenon. It has been there for the past few months, though rather sporadic in its appearance.

A medical practitioner from Liaquat National Hospital, who requested anonymity, said that a terminal case of DHF was registered at this hospital about six months ago. The patient was rejected admission at another reputable hospital for the very reason that his condition had worsened to the point of incurability. Despite continuous insistence on the part of health experts and the provincial advisory issued with regard to DHF – not transferable from one person to another – the doctor is also of the opinion that DHF patients should be kept in quarantine instead of an open ward as droplets or any secretion from a dengue-positive’s body can infect another person. However, now that the city is dreading the growing dengue threat, hospitals are hopefully going to try and live up to their reputation and perform their duties in this seemingly precarious situation.

A medical operative at a local government hospital revealed (on condition of anonymity) that the doctors were not even properly briefed about handling the cases as they began to increase in number. She was also uncomfortable with the fact that dengue patients were not being kept in a separate ward. “In fact,” she said, “you can find dengue patients’ wards that deal or at least are supposed to deal with something entirely different.” When asked whether she thought the situation was turning into an epidemic, she felt that “it already has become one, and if not, then it will, because things don’t seem to be changing around here, and in that case we shouldn’t expect different results.” When asked about ways to prevent dengue from spreading further, she said that other than keeping and treating the dengue-positive patients in isolation, the city administration, apart from the “fumigation spree” that it is on these days, should also deal with the city’s sewerage system along with regularly checking up on abandoned construction sites as well as various potholes and dilapidated streets throughout the metropolis.

The virus, it appears, cannot be prevented from spreading and the dengue-infected mosquitoes from breeding if these aspects which, according to her, are in fact the problem, go unattended. “The dengue problem in Karachi, if considered with some insight, leads to a Pandora’s box which I don’t think anyone here would want to open,” she said.

Things have become better with regards to the diagnostic facilities available to the people. Earlier, it was only one other private hospital along with Liaquat National Hospital, that had the equipment for conducting diagnostic tests for dengue, whereas government hospitals would send blood samples of suspected infectees to the National Institute of Health, Islamabad, which took three to four days to send its report on the samples. However, the health department’s recent announcement that all patients hospitalised either at private or public hospitals can get their tests done at the Sindh Services Hospital, Blood transfusion Centre without charge, is a much desired development given the current crisis.

The government is trying to do its bit by assisting patients with laboratory facilities for diagnosis; however, the aerial and ground sprays that began a few days ago give more of an unorganized, helter-skelter picture and are not believed to be as effective as desired by various health experts around the city.

At the same time, the number of people wanting to be tested for dengue is gradually increasing; an indicator that the average Karachiite is taking the threat rather seriously. Paranoia, one may say, but it is not without good cause. A lab operative at a local private hospital informed that contrary to prior practice, tests can be administered without a medical prescription which was also one reason people would show up more frequently for a test. He informed that an average number of 20 people were getting tested every day, out of which 20-25 per cent would turn out to be carriers of the virus.

Many hospitals however portray a rather dismal picture when it comes to dealing with dengue. At one of the most crucial medical facilities in Karachi, the “information” section operative did not know whether the hospital housed a specific ward for dengue-positive patients, let alone for those suffering from DHF. This chaotic scenario was seen at a renowned medical facility which has admitted possibly the largest number of dengue cases in Karachi. Dengue-positive cases are also being identified in some areas of Punjab and, therefore, it is a matter of growing concern that it is gradually spreading to different parts of the country.

The use of biological weapons against certain groups of people comes as nothing new to the human world. The use of smallpox-contaminated blankets by the colonising British against the Native Americans and the Russian attack on Swedes with plague-infected corpses are examples. In the current context also, the spread of dengue fever is a cause for speculation and inquiry, considering that it spread extremely quickly. Who knows whether the disease known as dengue fever is an actual disease or just one of the many biological weapons that are being developed around the world.

The writer is a freelance contributor

Copyright C. PakSEF 2002 - 2006

KARACHI: Harmful effects of X-rays

[Published in DAWN]

KARACHI, Oct 29: There could be harmful effects of X-rays on patients, paramedics and general public visiting the hospitals.

Such harmful effects were known almost immediately after they were discovered, an Indian doctor said.

“If judiciously used, X-rays are not harmful otherwise they can cause havoc,” Dr Sneh Bhargava, Radiologist at Sitaram Bhartia Institute, Delhi, told a TV channel.

As far as the human body is concerned there are three systems, which are affected by X-rays. First, is the genitalia, which if affected may have a negative effect on the progeny. The other main system that is affected is the skin. You can get a rash, hair loss and apart from being cosmetically harmful, they also predispose to cancer. The third system that is affected is the blood. If the red blood cells are affected, you can suffer from anaemia and if the white blood cells are affected, they can attack your immune system and make you vulnerable to various diseases, Dr Bhargava said.

X-rays are electromagnetic radiations in a wave form just like gamma, ultraviolet, infrared and radio waves. The only difference is that they have a different wavelength and because of this difference they have different properties. X-rays, for instance, can pass through wood and the human body just like light can pass through glass. When X-rays pass through the body, a part of it is absorbed and some part goes right through. For instance, the bone in an X-ray looks white whereas the lungs in an X-ray look black.

A patient should be exposed to an X-ray only when doctors need more information than what just a physical examination can give. However, X-ray should not be repeated before three months.

Radiation worker must protect himself against the main beam of X-rays. One can stand behind a lead screen to avoid the harmful effect of X-rays. The lead completely absorbs the X-rays and you are safe.

If you are a radiologist, you must wear lead gloves and apron.

A proper machine should have no leakage. Every machine should be checked annually by a trained physicist. They can record whether or not there is any leakage with a dosimeter or with a film. It is necessary that you have a physicist check the equipment. If the machine is off, there is no leakage and if the machine is on, rays must go through a specific point and not get scattered anywhere.

X-rays should not be done during pregnancy. There is no question of doing abdominal X-ray nowadays because ultrasound is available. If you want to know anything about the baby, the correct method is the ultrasound. Ultrasound is totally safe, as it has no ionising properties like X-rays.

Today, with other types of non-ionising radiations available like ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging, X-rays should be used minimally.–PPI

Copyright C. PakSEF 2002 - 2006

Northern Lahore declared sensitive: Dengue virus

[by DAWN Staff Reporter]

LAHORE, Oct 29: The City District Government Lahore has made the city railway station and its adjoining areas as focal point for its campaign against the feared dengue fever epidemic as the CDGL officials claim that the mosquito causing the disease has shifted to Punjab through passengers who came from Sindh to celebrate Eid here.

All the three dengue fever cases detected so far - Sarfaraz, 16, Fiaz, 45, and Ali Tariq, 18, - belonged to Misri Shah. Blood samples of residents of the locality are being collected to detect more such cases.

At a meeting of the CDGL authorities held here on Sunday with DCO Muhammad Ijaz in the chair, EDO (health) Dr Inamul Haq claimed that the `aedes’ mosquito shifted from Sindh when people from there came to Punjab on the eve of Eid.

So far 2,000 dengue cases have been detected across the country, most of them in Karachi and Hyderabad.

Dr Haq said all localities adjoining the city railway station and of northern Lahore like Misri Shah, Shadbagh, Naulakha Bazaar, Railway Road, Lunda Bazaar, Badami Bagh and Chah Miran had been declared as sensitive and were being fumigated with fog spray.

Out of a total of 1,650 lady health workers in the provincial metropolis, 35 had been deputed in Misri Shah for creating awareness about the disease and precautionary measures, he said.

He also claimed that 11 mobile teams had been formed for prevention of dengue fever, provision of specialist doctors and laboratories at all state-run hospitals had been set up where the required stock of medicines had also been provided.

Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi has meanwhile directed health department officials to take effective steps for controlling dengue virus in the province and ensure availability of medicines for its treatment, says a handout.

The chief minister issued the directions while presiding over a meeting held here on Sunday to review implementation of the health sector reforms programme.

MINISTER: Health Minister Dr Tahir Ali Javed claimed that his department had completed all the arrangements.

He said the availability of necessary medicines in all public sector hospitals would be ensured.

The minister said that health services director had been appointed focal person for prevention and control of dengue fever and he would be responsible to have close liaison with the medical superintendents of all the public sector hospitals, EDOs (health) of the province. He would also contact the allied

Departments, arrange procurement of all required items for the safety of medical and paramedical staff treating dengue victims.

Dengue fever cases rise to 70, civic paper over cracks

[By Baqir Sajjad Syed. DAWN]

SLAMABAD, Oct 29: With the number of confirmed cases of dengue fever closing to 100 in the twin cities, senior officials of civic agencies are claiming that the situation is perfectly under control and there is nothing to be worried about.

The number of confirmed cases of dengue fever in the twin cities had risen to 71 by Saturday afternoon. The problem is more intense in Rawalpindi, where 41 cases have been confirmed compared to 30 reported in the capital. Fresh figures for Sunday were not available being a holiday.

However, the speed with which the disease is spreading in the twin cities can be judged from the fact that in the first week of the outbreak of disease from October 12-19, 25 confirmed cases were reported, while in the second week from October 20-28, 46 fresh cases were reported, almost double the number of cases reported during the first week.

Doctors have termed the situation epidemic, believing that the number of cases being reported is just the tip of the iceberg.

Federal Health Secretary Anwar Mehmood had recently said that dengue fever was not a health issue alone and was also related to our environment. He believed the role of municipal administration was all the more important since fumigation, fogging and removal of solid waste from the cities was their job.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has endorsed this view saying that proper vector control by involving municipal administrations and social mobilisation and education of the people about the disease can effectively contribute towards controlling the disease.

Capital Development Authority’s Director Health Services Dr Saeed Ahmed told this reporter that the situation was under control. He said the figure of just 30 was not significant for Islamabad having a population of over 1.5 million.

He claimed that the authority had been spraying and fogging in the city since the start of the October. He contended that falling temperatures would finish off the problem.

City District Nazim Raja Javed Ikhlas also said that the number of cases was quite insignificant, as some of those testing positive had travelled to Rawalpindi for Eid vacations.

Rawalpindi district government had started fumigation from October 23. Executive District Officer (Health) Dr Zafar Iqbal Gondal was not ready to concede that the health department was slow to respond. Mr. Gondal insisted that he was the first in Punjab to launch the awareness campaign and anti-mosquito spray.

The general public is critical of the performance of the civic agencies to control the disease. While the affluent are ordering fumigation of their homes and the schools where their children study, the poor and the disadvantaged living in slums, the general public thinks, have been left at the mercy of the mosquitoes.

Notwithstanding the tall claims of the officials of civic agencies, their failure is quite evident from their failure in controlling malaria also spread by mosquitoes.

Malaria outbreaks occur every year in this season and because of ineffective control the malarial parasite has become multi- drug resistant and is showing an alarming re-emergence. The preventive measures for malaria and dengue fever are the same.

Commenting on the views of the civic agencies about the issue, a senior medical practitioner said: “It is good to paint a rosy picture, but there’s need to be careful so that it does not impact on the ongoing or planned interventions. We should not be alarmist and should not be minimalists either.”

The brighter side of the whole episode is that districts like Rawalpindi previously relying on outdated equipment for fumigation have started purchasing modern equipment.


Copyright C. PakSEF 2002 - 2006

Saturday, October 28, 2006

Pakistan gets its first satellite broadband IP hub

Pakistan is now on the satellite broadband hub with the commissioning of the Infosat 51F.

Comstar ISA Ltd, a leading satellite service provider, Thursday announced the completion of the installation, testing and commissioning phase of the hub in Karachi.

The hub is now commercially available to users throughout the country, Pakistan Times newspaper quoted company officials as saying.

The Infosat I-Direct Hub has been installed in the country in collaboration with Infosat Communications. Infosat is a Bell Canada Enterprises (BCE) subsidiary and the largest broadband satellite operator in Canada.

With the commissioning of the hub, Infosat completed the first phase of its investment in Comstar and formally took control of 22 percent shareholding in Comstar ISA Ltd. This is first of its kind investment by a satellite services company in Pakistan.

Sami Bajwa, CEO and president of Comstar, said Infosat Connect services were being launched in Pakistan would aim to offer the same level of service that customers in North America have been accustomed to.

John Robertson, president and CEO of Infosat Communication, said Infosat's substantial investment in Pakistan both in terms of equipment and human resources proves his organisations commitment to Pakistan.

'We are here to stay for the long term,' Robertson was quoted as saying.


Copyright C. PakSEF 2002 - 2006

Thursday, October 26, 2006

Natural Cure for Dengue Fever

Natural Cure for Dengue Fever
by a member of PakSEF VSTTT

I would like to share this interesting discovery from a classmate's
son who has just recovered from dengue fever. Apparently, his son was
in the critical stage at the SJMC ICU when his platelet count dropped
to 15 after blood transfusion also.

His father was so worried that he sought another friend's
recommendation and his son was saved. He confessed to me that he give
his son raw juice of the papaya leaves. From a platelet count as low
as 45 after blood transfusion, it jumped to 135 after drinking the raw
papaya leaf juice. Even the doctors and nurses were surprised. After
the second day he was discharged. So he asked me to pass this good
news around.

Accordingly it is raw papaya leaves 2 pcs just clean and pound and
squeeze the juice thro cloth filter. You will only get one tablespoon
per leaf. So, use two tablespoons per serving once a day. No need to
boil or cook or rinse with hot water, it will lose its strength. Only
the leafy part has to be taken, no stem or sap. It is very bitter and
you have to swallow it. But it works wonders!!!!

Papaya Juice - Cure for Dengue

You may have heard this elsewhere, but if not, I am glad to inform you
that papaya juice is a natural cure for dengue fever. As dengue fever
is ram! pant now, I think it's good to share this with all.

A friend of mine had dengue last year. It was a very serious situation
for her as her platelet count had dropped to 28,000 after 3 days in
hospital and water had started to fill in her lungs. She had
difficulty in breathing. She was only 32-years old. Doctor said
there's no cure for dengue. We just have to wait for her body immune
system to build up resistance against dengue and fight its own battle.

She already had 2 blood transfusions and all of us were praying very
hard as her platelet continued to drop since the first day she was
admitted.

Fortunately her mother-in-law heard that papaya juice would help to
reduce the fever and got some papaya leaves, pounded them and squeezed
the juice out for her. The next day, her platelet count start! ed to
increase, her fever subsided. She was given papaya juice regularly and
she recovered after 3 days!!! Amazing but true.

Papaya juice has a cooling effect thus, it helps to reduce the heat in
one's body. I found that its also good when one is having sore throat.

Copyright C. PakSEF 2002 - 2006

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Dengue Fever Issue---a cause for concern

Dengue not just a health issue: official
By Nasir Iqbal, DAWN

ISLAMABAD, Oct 24: Feeling the heat of dengue fever, the health ministry on Tuesday said vector control was the only solution to check the outbreak of dengue fever in some parts of the country for which the role of municipal administrations became pivotal.

“Dengue fever is not a health issue alone and also related to our environment,” federal secretary, health, Anwar Mehmood told reporters at the health ministry.

The role of municipal administration becomes all the more important since fumigation, fogging and removal of solid waste from the cities was their job, the secretary said.

World Health Organisation (WHO) representative Dr Khalif Bile also endorsed the health secretary’s point of view saying proper case management, vector control by involving municipal administrations, social mobilisation and education among the people could create a big difference in controlling the disease.

WHO, he said, was closely working with the ministry for effective case management of the dengue fever and to develop human resource for containing the disease.

“We expect that all the municipal departments would play a proactive role in helping us by doing proper garbage disposal and giving proper treatment to water storage tanks,” the secretary said.

The secretary also denied that a dengue patient had died in a Rawalpindi hospital on Monday, saying the mosquito-borne viral infection was not the cause of the 14-year-old girl’s death.

Dr Nilofer Ansari, Acting Medical Superintendent of the Cantonment General Hospital (DGH) said Mehreen was brought to the hospital from Pindi Gheb with ‘Septic Shock’ (a different kind of infection) and not with dengue.

About the growing number of suspected cases, Anwar Mehmood said, the people were coming in a large number in the hospitals because of better awareness created by the media.

“The current spike, though much severe, is the continuation of the November last year’s outbreak of dengue fever in Karachi. However, the fatality rate remained contained around a little over 2 per cent which is also dropping to 1.86 per cent due to better case management by hospitals”, he said. It will subside as the winter sets in, he added. During the first spike in 2005, the fatality rate was seven per cent.

Out of a total of 81 blood samples in Rawalpindi and Islamabad over the last three weeks, 34 samples, including three of the Shifa International Hospital, have been confirmed.

As regards to Karachi, a total of 1,392 patients with symptoms of dengue disease were admitted to different hospitals in Karachi since October 2. Of these 455 were found to be positive for the virus. 25 deaths have been reported so far from the infection in Karachi.

In addition three cases have also been confirmed in Khushab and Chakwal each, four in Kotli (Azad Kashmir) and one in Peshawar.END


Steps taken to check dengue fever: Aziz
DAWN report

ISLAMABAD, Oct 24: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said on Tuesday the government would check the spread of dengue fever and there was no shortage of testing kits or other required facilities to deal with the situation.

“Special treatment units have been established at all the hospitals across the country, with hospitals in major cities put on high alert and there is no problem of medical or paramedical staff despite Eid holidays,” the prime minister told journalists during a visit to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims).

The prime minister inquired after Dengue patients as well as the under-treatment children and distributed Eid gifts among them.

He said there were four dengue patients being treated at Pims, adding that some others had been discharged after effective treatment.

The government, he said, had ensured the availability of testing kits in Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Islamabad and other major cities.

Answering a question, Mr Aziz said the government was taking all out measures, including the use of anti-mosquito sprays, to contain the disease.—APP

KARACHI: Number of VHF cases on the rise
By Mukhtar Alam, DAWN

KARACHI, Oct 24: With more than 50 cases of the viral haemorrhagic fever (VHF) reporting every day at a few major hospitals of the city alone every day, the disease is taking the shape of an epidemic that has struck both slums and posh areas equally.

The number of such cases reporting at big public and private hospitals, as well as small clinics and other health care centres, is on the increase. The Sindh health department’s Dengue Fever Cell recorded arrival of 55 fresh cases at nine government and private hospitals during the past 24 hours ending at 2pm Tuesday.

Of the 1,392 suspected VHF patients admitted to various hospitals since June 2006, 431 have already been declared dengue-positive cases, bringing the percentage of these patients from among the total VHF patients to 30.96 by Tuesday.

This percentage is on a higher side at the private hospitals where normally a patient from a well-off family is admitted. The Aga Khan University Hospital said that it had 21 in-house VHF/dengue patients, 11 of them having been tested dengue positive and the remaining ones negative.

According to the Dengue Information and Surveillance Cell, of the 353 patients admitted to the AKUH over a period of four months, 100 have been tested dengue positive. At another private facility, the Liaquat National Hospital, the tally of dengue positive cases has reached 130. The Ziauddin Hospital has 52 and the Bismillah Taqi Hospital 45 dengue positive cases at present.

A total of 22 people have died from the VHF since its outbreak. The diseases, including dengue, have claimed three lives in the interior of Sindh whereas four patients with the symptoms linked to the dengue fever are admitted to two hospitals, one in Sukkur and the other in Larkana. Three patients have been tested dengue positive, said an official of the Cell.

Meanwhile, patients with suspected VHF were brought to various hospitals from Defence, Clifton, PECHS, Bahadurabad, Liaquatabad, F B Area, Korangi, Landhi, North Karachi, New Karachi, North Nazimabad, Orangi, Nazimabad, Baldia, Golimar, Gulistan-i-Jauhar, Garden, Saddar, Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Shah Faisal and Malir.

According to the Dengue Fever Cell, 160 patients are under treatment at 12 hospitals while 47 have since been discharged during the past 24 hours.

The number of in-house patient as of Tuesday was as follows: AKUH: 21 (12 new), LNH: 38 (11 new), CHK: seven (two new), Ziauddin Hospital: 28 (10 new), JPMC: 30(eight new), Bismillah Taqi Hospital: five (four new), Hamid Hospital: one (no new), NICH: seven (four new), Abbasi Shaheed Hospital: 14 (two new), Baqai Hospital: five(two new), Star Gate Hospital Malir: three (no new) and Afroze Medical Centre: one (no new).

Experts have once again urged the government to scan all those areas which have been providing breeding grounds to the Aedes Aegypti, the mosquito class responsible for the dengue infliction and spread.

In another development, the Ziauddin University Hospital has decided to perform dengue IGM test at its North Nazimabad, Clifton and Keamari campuses at a reduced rate of Rs600 in line with the directive by Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad and Minister for Health Syed Sardar Ahmed, said a press release of the hospital.END

Dengue Fever Kills 23 in Pakistan
Yahoo News Story

Twenty-three people have died and more than 1,000 been infected in a month-long outbreak of dengue fever, Pakistan health chiefs have said.

The latest casualties were an 11-year-old boy and a girl of eight who died of the mosquito-borne virus in a children's hospital in the southern port city of Karachi earlier this week, the government of Sindh province said Thursday.

"The death toll is now 23, with 20 in Karachi, while over 1,000 cases have been reported so far in Sindh province this a month," provincial spokesman Salahuddin Haider told AFP.

"It's deadly and has hit Karachi badly with hospitals full of dengue fever patients, but the government has provided machines to carry out a massive spray in the city," Haider said.

Authorities in the capital Islamabad and nearby Rawalpindi have also issued public advice for preventing the spread of the female Aedes mosquitos that carry the virus.

In neighbouring India, the death toll from a dengue outbreak rose to 107 on Wednesday. END

Dengue Deaths Put Pakistanis on Alert
by Reuters by way of the New York Times

KARACHI, Pakistan, Oct. 14 (Reuters) — Dengue fever has killed at least 17 people in Pakistan’s biggest city, Karachi, in the past four months, five of them since the beginning of October, health officials said Saturday.

A high alert has been declared in the city’s hospitals after about 250 people tested positive for the disease, they said.

“We have had 17 reported deaths from the virus in various hospitals,” said Abdul Majid, a health official in the southern province of Sindh, which includes Karachi.

“It is not a panic-like situation, but yes, in the last few weeks cases have been increasing on a daily basis,” he said.

Indian health authorities have been battling dengue too, reporting nearly 4,900 cases, including 94 deaths, in recent weeks.

But Saturday’s announcement in Pakistan was the first that dengue was raging there as well. Opposition politicians, some aid workers and the news media have criticized the city government for not anticipating the disease after the rainy season and for not carrying out proper fumigation drives.

Dengue is a disease of the tropics and is carried by the Aedes mosquito, which bites during the day. The mosquitoes usually breed in trapped rainwater. END

About Dengue Courtesy of the CDC

Dengue (DF) and dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) are caused by one of four closely related, but antigenically distinct, virus serotypes (DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3, and DEN-4), of the genus Flavivirus. Infection with one of these serotypes provides immunity to only that serotype for life, so persons living in a dengue-endemic area can have more than one dengue infection during their lifetime. DF and DHF are primarily diseases of tropical and sub tropical areas, and the four different dengue serotypes are maintained in a cycle that involves humans and the Aedes mosquito. However, Aedes aegypti, a domestic, day-biting mosquito that prefers to feed on humans, is the most common Aedes species. Infections produce a spectrum of clinical illness ranging from a nonspecific viral syndrome to severe and fatal hemorrhagic disease. Important risk factors for DHF include the strain of the infecting virus, as well as the age, and especially the prior dengue infection history of the patient. click to learn more

opyright C. PakSEF 2002 - 2006

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Oracle to launch online programme to promote IT learning in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Oracle Corporation, a software manufacturing company will start an online school level educational programme www.Think.Com by December this year to promote teaching of Information Technology in Pakistan.

The programme is aimed at providing the students an opportunity to improve their skills in IT and giving them a chance of pursuing their studies abroad.

The primary schools in rural areas have also been included in the educational programme, said Regional Managing Director, Asia Pacific, of the Company, Natasak Rodjanapiches.

He said, schools participating in the program, would be linked to each other through a website.

Replying to a question, Natasak said through this educational programme, Oracle would also link up students in Pakistan with students abroad and would play a role in promoting the exchange of culture and civilization.

He said initially the programme would be launched from 8 or 12 schools and later more schools would be included.

Replying to another question, he said, Oracle basically assisted in preparing standard software programmes. However, it was also providing services and investing in other sectors like telecom, oil and gas, mobile phone sector, pharmaceuticals and defense.

"We feel huge opportunities for development and investment exist in telecom and information technology sectors in Pakistan and Oracle was working out a strategy in Pakistan for offering scholarships to talented students who displayed outstanding performance in IT and telecom sectors," he said.

He said the ' www.Think.Com ' programme would also be used to improve professional capabilities of the teachers. www.Think.com turns students into multimedia authors for a global community and allows peers to think and learn together.●




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