Around 23 cases of dengue have surfaced in Matti Khel, Khyber tribal district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) causing serious concerns among the Health Department.
Talking to The Express Tribune, District Health Officer (DHO) Dr Ayub Afridi said that they had collected samples of 56 people for testing and 23 of them tested positive for dengue.
“In Matta Khel, Landi Kotal 23 cases have been detected and after this we have started collecting more blood samples for testing. We have started fog sprays in the area and all the patients have been provided medicine free of cost,” he said, adding that local residents should take precautionary measures.
“People should not allow breeding of mosquitoes inside and outside their houses by focusing on hygiene,” he said.
The health department sent a team of doctors to the affected area that checked the patients and provided them medicines.
An official of the health department while talking to The Express Tribune feared that there could be more affected people in the area which could turn the situation into pandemic if timely steps were not taken to control the disease.
“A few years ago hundreds of people were killed due to dengue in the province because the local government and district administrations failed to take timely steps including anti-mosquito sprays before and after monsoon rains to control the mosquito breeding. Later, experts urged that fog sprays be conducted each year from April,” he said, adding that despite the situation, for the last two years and especially after the spread of coronavirus, no attention was paid.
“The detection of 23 cases is not a good sign at all because this could multiply manifold in the coming days and could rapidly spread to the neighbouring districts including Peshawar which is the main business hub in the province,” warned the official, adding that the departments were not working properly and government did not take action against them.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 25th, 2021.
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