With the monsoon season at its peak, the health authorities have made dengue wards operational in all three allied hospitals of the garrison city fearing an outbreak due to accumulation of rainwater which suits spawning of mosquitoes. The provincial health ministry has directed the managements of the allied hospitals including Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH), District Headquarters (DHQ) to implement dengue protocols onwards. The participants of a meeting chaired by the Punjab Health Minister Yasmin Rashid on Wednesday were told that compared with 487 dengue patients reported in the allied hospitals during August 2019, only seven cases have been reported so far this year in the garrison city. The Rawalpindi District Health Authority officials said although the number of patients approaching the healthcare facilities with virus symptoms was fewer this year. However, the preparations are complete to maintain records on the dashboard. The participants were also informed that a protocol for spraying anti-dengue spray in 49 houses around the household from where a dengue patient was reported has been issued too and the surveillance teams were implementing it.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 13th, 2020.
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