No let-up in dengue cases in Rawalpindi
At least 18 more dengue patients were admitted to three major hospitals of Rawalpindi during the 24 hours, taking the total number of admitted dengue positive patients to 38.
Around 94 dengue cases have been reported in Rawalpindi in the last week. Of the total 210 dengue positive patients brought to the hospitals in Rawalpindi, 210 have been discharged after recovery.
According to health officials, around 112 beds have been allocated for dengue patients in the Holy Family Hospital, Benazir Bhutto Hospital and District Headquarters Hospital and 70 were under occupation, including 38 dengue positive patients.
Meanwhile, surveillance committees continue to hold regular meetings to oversee dengue performance at district and tehsil levels.
Dengue on the rise in Hazara division
The Hazara division has witnessed a steady rise in dengue fever cases in the last two weeks, as dozens of suspected patients have been admitted to various hospitals in the region.
Read Mosquitoes thrive amid lack of anti-dengue fumigation
In district Abbottabad, most cases have been registered from Sherwan circle and tehsil Havelian.
engue cases have also surfaced in various union councils of the Mansehra district. The Mansehra city, union councils Union Council Dhudyal and Darband being among the worst-hit areas in terms of the number of suspected dengue cases.
A six-year-old boy named Huzaifa lost the battle to the dengue virus in the hospital.
People have complained that the district administration and health authorities have carried out fumigation in different areas only twice, despite the gravity of the situation.
They also claimed that during the incubation period of the larva through August and early September, the health department did nothing for its eradication.
The Haripur district administration and the health department carried out fumigation and spray in several areas, including on GT Road, Circular Road and inside the city areas. The health department also issued directives for the citizens to take precautionary measures against the dengue virus, especially during the morning and evening.
Two die of Covid
Two Covid-19 patients died while 41 new cases were reported in Rawalpindi during the past 24 hours.
Two coronavirus patients died at the Rawalpindi Institute of Urology and Kidney Transplant. The test to positivity ratio remained 5.43 per cent in the district.
According to health officials, 625 Covid-19 infected patients were observing home isolation in the district.
Of the 109 admitted patients in the hospitals of Rawalpindi, 91 were on oxygen support and 18 on ventilators.
Mobile vaccination drive
The district health office Abbottabad is starting a mobile vaccination campaign against Covid-19 at schools and colleges of Galiyat in order to contain the spread of the contagion.
Read more Dengue virus grips 24 K-P districts
The inoculation drive in Abbottabad is being launched on the recommendation of National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) in which students from 9 grade to 12 will be vaccinated.
Talking to this correspondent, Additional Director General Health Doctor Shah Faisal said on Monday that the health department is taking steps to setup mobile vaccination units for schools and colleges and these mobile teams would reach out to educational institutions and ensure the students were inoculated.
He said the government needs to launch a large-scale vaccination awareness campaign dispel the people’s doubts and reservations about the efficacy and safety of the vaccines by leading medical experts while public figures should announce their vaccinated status to build the people’s confidence.
He urged parents of the students to get themselves vaccinated when teams arrive at their schools or in the area, adding that the health authorities were trying to make the Abbottabad a fully vaccinated district.
Additional reporting from Atteq Abbasi in Ayubia
Published in The Express Tribune, September 28th, 2021.