Over 100 dengue patients confirmed in single Pindi village

As many as 24 patients confirmed with dengue in the federal capital

RAWALPINDI: With a dengue emergency declared in Rawalpindi after cases topped 330, health officials on Tuesday disclosed that they had confirmed 118 cases of the viral fever from a single village in the south of the district. The federal capital, though, has thus far reported 24 cases.

This was disclosed during a high-level meeting at the Federal Health Ministry in Islamabad on Tuesday to review the prevalence of dengue in the twin districts of Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) and Rawalpindi. The meeting was chaired by Federal Health Secretary Dr Allah Bakhsh Malik.

The meeting reviewed the steps taken to minimise the spread of dengue fever in the two districts.

Dr Malik said that the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health has called for hospitals to devise plans focusing on preventive care, diagnostic facilities and availability of beds along with treatment protocol.

Moreover, he said that coordinated efforts need to be made to control the dengue situation. In this regard, he said that teams in Islamabad were working in close coordination with the Rawalpindi District Health Authority to prevention and control the spread of dengue.

The meeting was told that an action plan on dengue has been prepared which is in the process of being implemented. The plan includes identifying and destroying mosquito breeding sites, covering open drinking water containers, removing empty tyres, plastic bags and bottles along with other waste from roofs, draining water from room coolers and trays of refrigerators.

55 more test positive for dengue in Pindi

For this purpose, six teams comprising sanitary inspectors and malaria supervisors have been created along with 136 teams of Lady Health Workers (LHWs) to inspect houses and other open places for dengue larvae.

The meeting was told that the Dengue Control Cell has been activated and that the assistant district health officer was managing it. The cell has deputed outdoor and indoor surveillance teams in the two districts and they were fogging localities apart from creating awareness amongst the community through door-to-door visits by LHWs.

The meeting was told that the 118 patients confirmed with dengue in Mohra Nagyal village were receiving treatment.

In the federal capital, health officials were told that hospitals are sharing data of suspected dengue patients daily while assistant district health officers and field staff were meeting every day to review the emerging situation.

Moreover, the Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation (IMC) was responsible for anti-dengue efforts in the urban areas of Islamabad. The IMC Health Director-General told the meeting that the dengue situation in the city is well under control owing to the coordinated efforts

Even though the IMC health official told the committee that thus far only 12 cases of dengue have been reported from the city, officials at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) said that over the past 24 hours, the number of confirmed dengue patients in the city has increased to 24. These patients have been admitted to Pims and are receiving treatment.

Dengue emergency declared in Pindi

A Pims spokesperson said at least 150 suspected dengue patients have been admitted to the hospital thus far.

The official added that they have set up a 10-bed isolation ward in the hospital for dengue patients to prevent the spread of the viral fever to other patients in the facility.

CDD anti-dengue measures

Dengue surveillance Teams of the Civil Defense Department (CDD) in Rawalpindi carried out anti-dengue action at the District Courts on Tuesday.

The CDD teams inspected the complex for dengue larvae, including on rooftops, water-coolers, washrooms and stagnant water. The teams destroyed larvae wherever they were found.

Meanwhile, Rawalpindi Deputy Commissioner Ali Randhawa has ordered to inspect the district court and judicial complex daily.

Arid University seminar on dengue

Prevention is better than cure for controlling the dengue epidemic, said Pir Meher Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi (PMAS-AAUR) Vice-Chancellor Prof Qamaruz Zaman on Tuesday.

He was addressing a seminar on preventing the growing threat of dengue fever. The seminar had been organised by the Entomology and Botany Department of the varsity.

Being an agricultural university, he said that they have a strong entomology department and that it should play its part in controlling the spread of the viral fever.

The VC urged the participants to study the behaviour of mosquito species responsible for the spread of the virus and to formulate ways to control it.

Sciences Faculty Dean Dr Muhammad Arshad called for adopting precautionary measures against dengue.

205 dengue patients admitted in Pindi hospitals

Entomology Faculty Dean Dr Muhammad Tariq gave a presentation on various aspects of dengue fever, its various stages, prevention and control.

He also highlighted the steps to control various developmental stages of dengue from its eggs to larva and full-grown mosquitos.

The speakers recommended various preventive measures against the dengue mosquitos and stressed on taking collective preventive measures against the threat.

They urged the university employees and students to ensure the cleanliness of the campus and their homes.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 28^th, 2019.