Dengue rears its ugly head again
The deadly dengue virus has reared its ugly head in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, with a large number of patients being admitted to hospitals daily.
Health officials said that the number of dengue patients has risen to 65 in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
Of these, 21 confirmed dengue patients have been admitted to hospitals in Rawalpindi and 44 in Islamabad. The dengue emergency has also been declared in all hospitals in Rawalpindi.
One dengue patient has been admitted to a hospital in Chakwal and one in Attock.
According to official sources, 44 suspected dengue patients were brought to hospitals in the Rawalpindi district during the last 24 hours.
Health authorities have set up dengue wards in allied hospitals of Rawalpindi as cases continue to surge.
Read Cabinet reviews anti-dengue measures
The district and health authorities, meanwhile, have deployed teams to carry out fumigation and spray in areas where the dengue larvae had been found. Fumigation is being carried out adjacent to Kacha Stop, IJ Principal Road, truck, bus and car stands, spare parts markets, large warehouses, and factories.
Meanwhile, in certain areas, residents have refused to allow dengue teams to enter their houses to check for the dengue larvae.
The highest number of dengue larvae had been found in Union Council-19 of the cantonment board. Health authorities claimed to have checked a total of 138,225 houses in the area this month and the larvae were recovered from 2,987 houses.
During this same time, 128,351 shops, tire shops, junkyards and cemeteries were also checked. Of these, dengue larvae were found in 231 places. According to sources, the dengue larvae had also been found in 31 places cleared by a third party.
A meeting of the anti-dengue committee was also held under the chair of Rawalpindi Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Ali. The deputy commissioner issued orders for daily checking to eradicate the dengue larva.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 18th, 2021.