FAISALABAD: First suspected patient of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) has died and medical examination showed that the patient was not an ebola victim rather was in the terminal stage of hepatitis C and dengue hemorrhagic fever.
Zulfiqar Ahmad died at the Allied Hospital in Faisalabad last night, was a resident of Chiniot district and had returned to Pakistan on November 16 from West Africa where he has been working for the last three years.
Zulifiqar was initially suspected to be suffering from Ebola fever, but the diagnosis was later ruled out as Togo, where he had returned from 10 days ago, is not an Ebola-infected country. Additionally, the patient had not traveled anywhere near the epidemic areas.
He was hospitalised at the District Headquarters Hospital (DHQ), Chiniot, for having a history of high grade fever, yellowish discolouration of eyes, vomiting and diarrhea or the last five days and loss of consciousness for one day. His condition did not improve and he was subsequently admitted him to Faisalabad’s Allied Hospital where medics, after initial diagnostic tests, feared he might have contracted Ebola.
Furthermore, a five-member mission from Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) has arrived in Pakistan to evaluate the country’s preparedness to handle the situation. The team will be visiting hospitals and airports to assess and then submit a report with recommendations.
