Dengue fever: Health department prepares for outbreak

Health officials working to destroy mosquito breeding sites

PESHAWAR: As the mercury lowers, tempering the climate perfectly for mosquitoes, health officials along with health facilities have sped up preparations to counter any possible dengue outbreak in the provincial capital.

In 2017, a sudden surge in dengue virus cases had sent the public and the authorities into a panic. By the time the authorities mounted a counter, the viral infection had spread, infecting thousands and claiming over 65 lives, a majority in the provincial capital.

Officials involved in such campaigns said that last year’s outbreak was unexpected, with cases usually reported from the hilly areas — mostly from the northern parts of the province with a majority from the Hazara Division.

However, with over 23,000 cases reported in the provincial capital alone, officials are not taking any chances this year and have started making preparations.

With 28 cases reported so far this year, the government has started conducting awareness campaigns. District health officials are on a drive to hunt and destroy mosquito breeding sites.

Health facilities in the city, specifically the Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH) — which had registered over 95 per cent of all cases reported in 2017 — launching training sessions for health practitioners.

Since KTH is the nearest possible tertiary medical care facility for people hailing from Tehkal and other adjacent areas — where a majority of the cases were reported from or had served to transport the viral infection to the tribal areas.

In this regard, the KTH held workshops on management of dengue fever was arranged for trainee registrars and trainee medical officers at the hospital’s medical teaching institute (MTI).

In order to prevent another possible outbreak in K-P, the provincial directorate general for health issued a dengue alert on August 4.

It emphasized upon preventive measures, the alert told the public to wear full-sleeved shirts, socks, use chemical repellents [with care for young children, sick, weak or elderly] besides mosquito coils, aerosols, electric vaporisers mats, insecticide-treated nets specifically for kids, elderly and pregnant women.

It stressed upon those busy in construction, by stating that the water storage facilities at construction sites should be mosquito-proof, debris around the sites removed and disposal of scrap material prioritised.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 19^th, 2018.