Emergence of 3 dengue cases in Pindi set off alarm bells

Larvae found at 323 spots in Rawal Town, Potohar, and Cantonment areas

RAWALPINDI: Already busy fighting the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, the emergence of three confirmed dengue patients and the discovery of dengue larvae has alarmed the Rawalpindi district administration and health authorities.

The administration and health authorities said that dengue larvae were detected at 323 different spots in three sectors of Rawalpindi, including Rawal Town, Potohar, and Cantonment. These three areas also lead the district in Covid-19 cases.

The dengue surveillance teams found the mosquito larvae from 135 spots in the Potohar sector, followed by 108 in Rawal Town, and 80 in Cantonment sector.

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The district administration registered five cases against proprietors in these areas while issuing notices to 11 others.

Meanwhile, the Additional Deputy Commissioner Headquarters Maham Asif has ordered the surveillance teams to expedite their activities and submit a daily report.

The health department sent a summary to the Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar after preparing a new policy for the prevention of a dengue outbreak this year, officials said. Explaining the requirements of the new policy, they said that seminars or awareness walks cannot be organised this year due to the Covid-19 lockdown. Therefore, the health department has prepared a policy comprising alternative actions during the lockdown.

Further, the special branch of police has cautioned about a dengue outbreak in Rawalpindi division this year, apart from in other parts of the province.

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In this regard, the special branch has declared the districts of Rawalpindi, Attock, Jhelum, and Chakwal as ‘most vulnerable’ to the epidemic.

The Punjab government has directed the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) to provide android mobile phones to the police personnel so that they can perform their duties effectively.

Further, the Punjab health ministry has instructed to start a third-party survey to monitor the ongoing anti-dengue campaign across the province. 

Published in The Express Tribune, May 15^th, 2020.