Capital forms task force to prevent dengue virus spread

Surveillance teams to be set up at UC level; Punjab offers help


Our Correspondent September 21, 2017
Surveillance teams to be set up at UC level; Punjab offers help. PHOTO: FILE

ISLAMABAD: With over two dozen people in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa falling victim to the dengue fever, the federal health authorities and the capital’s administration on Wednesday decided to form a joint task force to keep an eye on the spread of dengue virus in Islamabad.

The task force was constituted by Health Minister Saira Afzal Tarar who chaired a high-level meeting in Islamabad on Wednesday to review the dengue situation.

National Institute of Health (NIH) Executive Director Brigadier Aamir Ikram has been tasked with coordinating with all stakeholders and ensure measures for dengue prevention and control are in place.

The task force was constituted as the number of deaths from dengue cases in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) rose to 26 amid 5,337 infections reported there since July. With Islamabad receiving large traffic of people from K-P, the possibility of an outbreak in the capital is considered to be quite high.

However, on Wednesday, officials said that the situation in the capital was under control with only around 46 cases reported within the Islamabad Capital Territory. Of these, 26 cases were reported from the rural areas, while 20 were reported from the urban areas.



The capital’s hospitals also reported having received as many as 25 dengue patients from other areas including nine from K-P, four from Azad Jammu and Kashmir and 12 from Punjab.

However, no death has been reported in Islamabad so far with seven patients admitted to various hospitals receiving treatment for the viral fever.

Tarar said that officials need to maintain a high level of vigilance to avoid an outbreak in the capital. She directed officials to ensure that there is proper surveillance of the virus, especially in areas where cases were reported from.

The minister urged senior Islamabad health officials to work in close coordination to prevent the virus from spreading.

She said that a five-member team should be constituted for each union council of Islamabad for surveillance. In this regards, she asked the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Administration to prepare a list of high-risk zones.

The minister called on the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to take urgent steps to ensure that solid waste is properly managed and the city is kept clean.

She added that any issues relating to human resources in the CDA and ICT must be resolved as soon as possible to ensure that challenges like dengue are effectively responded to.

Minister of State for Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said that all hospitals in the capital working under his ministry were fully prepared to manage and treat dengue patients. CADD secretary said that a coordination cell had also been established in the ministry on dengue prevention.

Punjab Minister for Specialised Medical Care Khawaja Salman Rafiq and Punjab Minister for Health Khawaja Imran Nazir told the health minister about Punjab’s experience of controlling dengue – where so far only 130 cases of dengue have been recorded.

They offered to build the capacity of health personnel in the capital and grant access to the Punjab’s dengue dashboard.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 21st, 2017.

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