Dengue alarm: JUI-F urges govt to take emergency measures

Official figures contradict claims of former senator Ghulam Ali

PESHAWAR: With heavy rains lashing the provincial capital, the opposition Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam-Fazal (JUI-F) on Tuesday asked the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government to take ‘immediate’ measures to control the spread of dengue virus in Peshawar.

JUI-F central leader and former senator Ghulam Ali in a news conference at the Peshawar Press Club on Tuesday claimed that so far six people have died of the virus in the Tehkal region of Peshawar.

He added that there were increasing cases of infections in areas adjacent to the Peshawar University, University Public School and University Model School. He expressed fear that unless action is taken, a large number of students could be infected by dengue and in turn spread the virus to other parts of the city.

“Immediate measures are needed to control the spread of the virus,” said Ali, adding that the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government was too busy in politics while the province they were governing was facing problems from the virus.



He further claimed that so far over 500 people in the city have been affected by the virus in the city while hospitals in the provincial capital lack of proper treatment facilities.

The JUI-F leader urged the concerned departments to ensure the provision of the requisite facilities at the hospitals so that the spread of the virus can be contained.

Meanwhile, a daily report on the number of patients admitted to the Khyber Teaching Hospital who have tested for dengue virus showed that a total of 82 patients have been admitted to the hospital of which 38 have been discharged after treatment.

The report further stated only two patients have died of the virus while one was currently in critical condition. That patient, along with 42 others, is still under treatment at the facility.

The district government has also started spraying in different areas to kill mosquitoes and control the spread of the dengue virus.

A handout issued by the local government stated that the district administration was fumigating affected parts of the city at least twice a day.

Moreover, the government said it has set up medical camps in the affected areas to test patients for dengue virus. An awareness drive has also been launched with pamphlets being distributed among the public advising precautionary measures in the affected union councils of the Tehkal district.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 2^nd, 2017.