PHOTO: FILE
Sajjad Haider, who lives in Wakeel Colony in the Dhok Manshi Union Council, told The Express Tribune that he has moved his family to a relative’s house in the Jhanda Chichi area and hopefully far away from the dengue virus.
Haider explained that the disease-carrying mosquitoes had made it extremely difficult for them to live in Dhok Manshi, adding that at least three people in every household he knew had been infected with the virus.
He added that he intends to stay there until the epidemic either blows over or is completely eradicated.
Haider said that he was not alone in relocating, adding that several families from the union council, including Wakeel Colony, Wazir Town, Gulzar-e-Quaid, Dhok Jabbi and Gulbahar Colony had moved to other areas to stay with either their relatives or friends.
Increasing number of dengue cases irks CM
District administration officials, however, said that they were unaware of the mass migration from the area, maintaining that all allied institutions of district government were taking part in operations to curb the dengue virus.
He added that every three years, dengue recurs strongly and that the city was currently witnessing a strong spell.
Meanwhile, sources in the Rawalpindi District Health Department told The Express Tribune that 60-year-old Rasheeda Begum, who recently died at Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH) after being infected with the dengue virus, had hailed from the Gulzar-e-Quaid area in Dkhok Manshi UC and that she had moved in with her sister in the Arya neighbourhood to protect her children from the virus.
Separately, data from the three allied hospitals in Rawalpindi showed that an additional 54 suspected dengue patients had been brought in over the past 24 hours, raising the total number of dengue patients in the city to 1,181.
No fatalities in Islamabad
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health Dr Zafar Mirza on Friday stated that thus far, no dengue patient from the federal capital had succumbed to the virus.
Dengue claims another life
In a statement released by the health ministry on Friday, Dr Mirza stated that his ministry was making all possible efforts to contain the virus in the federal capital.
In this regard, he said that the ministry had directed all hospitals in the city to gear up for managing dengue cases.
The SAPM said that dengue patients will be provided with free diagnostic services and treatment, while any patient who has been confirmed as having dengue, will be refused admission.
Dr Mirza added that dengue patients from the rural areas of the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) have been treated at the Holy Family Hospital (HFH) and BBH in Rawalpindi. He claimed that 90 per cent of such patients have already been discharged.
Furthermore, he said that the Dengue Control Cell set up by the health department is working around the clock in liaison with the departments concerned, public and private hospitals, civic bodies and the Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation (IMC).
Islamabad Administration regularly holds meetings to review the situation and take necessary measures, he said, adding that a hospital-based surveillance system is also in place.
“As soon as the patient reaches a hospital and tests positive for the dengue fever, the Dengue Control Cell gets notified from the dengue dashboard about the patient’s profile,” he said, adding that a Rapid Response Team is immediately dispatched to the patient’s origin to contain the spread of the virus by fumigating 48 houses around the patient’s home.
Rapid Response Teams have been working on the problem for the past two months, the SAPM shared.
An aggressive preventive campaign is underway including identifying and destroying mosquito breeding sites, covering open drinking containers, removal of tyres, shoppers, plastic bottles and other wastes from roofs, draining water from room coolers and trays of refrigerators. Special teams of sanitary inspectors, malaria supervisors and lady health workers are in the field for the purpose.
Moreover, a social mobilisation campaign has been launched through Lady Health Workers to create awareness amongst the local communities to educate them on prevention against dengue and eliminating dengue vector breeding sites inside and around their homes.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 7th, 2019.
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