The recent monsoon rains may result in instances of the dengue fever, but people should not panic because the fever does not require sophisticated treatment, said Pakistan Medical Society (PMS) Chairman Dr Masood Akhtar Sheikh while briefing schoolchildren at a seminar on the prevention of mosquito-borne diseases on Thursday. At the seminar, which was held in collaboration with the Mother and Child Trust, Dr Sheikh claimed there was almost no mortality associated with the fever, however, he suggested the use of anti-mosquito sprays inside the house, as the particular mosquito responsible for the disease was domestic in nature. He said that the mosquito was born in fresh water, and suggested that people not allow any water to stagnate near their houses. He also said that the disease could be prevented by using mosquito repellent in the early morning and at sunset, because those were the usual times at which mosquitoes bit people. Dengue form: He said that the disease infected 50 million people worldwide each year and its symptoms were similar to the common cold or flu, adding that the disease was not confined to Pakistan, and was endemic in more than a 100 countries. He pointed out that the dengue fever was caused by the bite of the female mosquito of the Aedes Aegypti species, adding that the dangerous form of the disease was the dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF), which was seen in less than one percent of total dengue fever cases while the Dengue Shock Syndrome (DSS) was also very rare. Dr Sheikh said that if a patient suffering from DHF or DSS was given blood in addition to fluid replacement treatments in time, it would decrease the already low rate of mortality. Mother and Child Trust President Dr Iram told the seminar that children should be given extra care as they were at a higher risk of catching the virus than adults. She said that the symptoms of dengue fever could easily be mistaken for the common cold. She also said that the human immune system was capable of fighting the virus and that in most cases no medical attention was required. staff report