Dengue virus outpacing control efforts

Weak surveillance within provinces have not given the centre a clear idea of the scale of the disease’s spread

ISLAMABAD:

As many as 18 people tested positive for dengue fever in Rawalpindi city on Tuesday, taking the total number of citizens affected by the virus this year to 636.

Talking to The Express Tribune, a senior Rawalpindi health department official, who asked not to be named, said that in the last week, 15 to 18 people would test positive for dengue every day. Thus far, one death has been reported in the city.



“Day-by-day a surge in the number of dengue fever cases has been witnessed, and now it has become challenging to control it,” said the official, adding that, “This year Rawalpindi has reported the highest number of dengue fever cases in Punjab province.”

There has been an outbreak of the disease in Rawal Town, from where 370 cases have been reported this year. The area has become a breeding ground for the virus, the official said.

Health experts fear that after Eidul Azha, dengue cases may surge across the country, and have called for strengthening surveillance.

A senior National Institute of Health (NIH) official, who asked not to be named, told the The Express Tribune that there were already outbreaks of the disease in many cities.

It is speculated that the mass movement of people within the country during the Eid period may have spread the disease further.

The official also added that the days prior to Eid saw heavy rains in many areas of the country, providing favourable environs for the disease to spread.

It is estimated that the number of dengue cases has reached 4,000 this year, but remain widely underreported, the official said.

“Balochistan’s health department lacks proper surveillance systems, due to which it has not yet reported the accurate number of dengue fever cases.

The centre has no data on how many cases have been reported from the province so far,” the official added.

He said weak surveillance had delayed rapid response in areas from where cases emerged.



“It seems as though the count will double or triple after Eid, which could badly affect efforts made to control the disease thus far,” said Dr Saleem Rana, a vector control expert from Lahore.

Dr Rana is a member of the committee constituted by the CM Punjab to probe incidents of children being affected by fumigation efforts in Jehlum and Attock.

Punjab CM takes notice

Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif expressed indignation over the increase in the number of dengue cases in Rawalpindi and reprimanded the heads of concerned departments and institutions and administration officers.

He said that the departments and institutions have displayed criminal negligence.

Addressing a video conference on Tuesday, the CM said that if timely measures were taken, this situation would not have emerged in Rawalpindi.

He directed his health adviser, the Punjab chief secretary and health secretary, and the King Edward Medical University vice-chancellor to stay in Rawalpindi and personally supervise anti-dengue measures.

Ministers, parliamentarians, health advisers and senior officials from Lahore, Rawalpindi, Attock, Jehlum and Chakwal participated in the meeting via video link.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 30^th, 2015.