MAKKAH – Forty-seven confirmed and suspected dengue fever cases have recently been reported in Makkah's Bat'ha neighborhood, health sources told Al-Madinah daily. Al-Noor Specialist Hospital has received the most suspected cases, according to spokesman for Makkah Health Affairs Fawaz Al-Sheikh. One of the residents living in the affected neighborhood told Al-Madinah the neighborhood has been infested with mosquitoes and accused the Makkah municipality of not doing enough to fight mosquito infestations in the area. Ahmad Al-Zahrani said: “Mosquitoes are all over the place in my house and outside.” He and his wife contracted dengue fever a few days ago and had to go to several hospitals before their symptoms were successfully diagnosed. He said they still have their platelet count checked every now and then to make sure they have been completely cured. Abdul Saad, who also lives in the same neighborhood, went to Al-Noor Specialist Hospital to check if he had dengue fever. Hospital doctors could not definitively confirm whether he had dengue fever or not, so he had to go to a private laboratory and take some tests before knowing for sure that he was suffering from the disease. He decided to receive treatment at a private hospital because Al-Noor Specialist Hospital did not have sufficient beds. Saad's son was admitted to King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh with the same disease. He was receiving treatment in Makkah at a public hospital but doctors decided to transfer him. When Salih Musa, another resident, took his son to Al-Noor Specialist Hospital after he displayed symptoms of dengue fever, he was told his son might have the disease but his platelet count was normal, so a definitive diagnosis could not be provided. They discharged the son with multivitamins and asked the father to give him large quantities of juice every day. Musa is worried now because his son's recent platelet count has revealed a deterioration in his condition. Ahmad Al-Huraisi accused Al-Noor Specialist Hospital's emergency unit of negligence and not taking care of him for 14 hours because there was no bed available. His sons took him to Hera General Hospital where he stayed for a week. He also blamed the municipality for failing to spray sufficient quantities of insecticide in the neighborhood. Many residents who were treated at Al-Noor Hospital for dengue fever left the hospital after a week. However, they are still worried that their symptoms might resurface and their condition gets worse. Some people living in the neighborhood said stagnant water caused by recent rains was to be blamed for the mosquito infestation. They said the neighborhood needs an effective drainage system.
