Anti-dengue teams ordered to check 50 houses daily

Health DG orders monitoring for dengue larvae in under-construction buildings

RAWALPINDI: With Punjab’s health officials believing that dengue can only be curbed through the collective efforts of the government and the public, anti-dengue teams in the garrison city have been directed to check at least 50 houses for dengue larvae every day.

This was stated by the Punjab Health Director General (DG) Dr Haroon Jehangir whilst chairing a meeting at a dengue camp in Gulzar-e-Quaid relating to anti-dengue measures in the city.

The DG exhorted on strict monitoring for dengue larvae in under-construction buildings and other high-risk areas. He suggested that every zone should be split into four parts while each team should be mandated to check 50 houses daily.

Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) Director Saeed Akhtar Ghumman instructed health officials to continue their indoor and outdoor surveillance in sensitive areas.

He further directed them to distribute anti-dengue information pamphlets amongst patients and visiting families in allied hospitals to sensitise the public about mosquito-borne diseases.



He appealed the citizens to cooperate with teams of the health department to curb the epidemic.

During the meeting, participants were told that over the last 24 hours, as many as 85 fresh dengue patients were reported in the three allied hospitals of Rawalpindi while another 62 were discharged.

The officials were further told that as many as 307 dengue patients are currently under treatment in the allied hospitals including 215 positive cases.

Of these, 168 hailed from Rawalpindi while another 47 belonged to the federal capital.

The meeting was attended by EPI Director Saeed Akhtar Ghuman, Local Government Deputy Secretary Najeeb Aslam, Additional Deputy Commissioner Headquarters Saima Younis, Health Department CEO Dr Muhammad Sohail and other related officials.

Holidays suspended

In a bid to ensure an uninterrupted operation against dengue, the district administration has suspended Ashura holidays of all workers involved in the anti-dengue campaign.

Meanwhile, hospitals in the garrison city, are operating in a state of emergency. They stated that as many as 94 more suspected dengue patients had arrived seeking treatment over the past 24 hours.

This raised the total suspected dengue patients to 1,374.

A number of these patients hailed from Rawal Town and areas of cantonment boards, showing that the virus was spreading rapidly, and worsening conditions in the related areas.

However, 31 patients hailed from areas of Potohar Town including Wakeel Colony, Gulzar-e-Quaid, Dhok Manshi, Kot Jabbi etc where dengue programmes have been running for the past month.

Furthermore, the administration is also strictly monitoring anti-dengue measures in its daily meeting after Punjab Health Secretary visited Rawalpindi yesterday.

The teams have been given directions to thoroughly examine dengue larvae during indoor and outdoor surveillance.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 9^th, 2019.