PHC orders measures to check dengue outbreak

Seeks detailed report on disease’s prevalence at next hearing

PESHAWAR:

Chief Justice Peshawar High Court (PHC) Qaisar Rasheed Khan has said that the dengue situation has worsened in the province once again. He ordered the Health Department to take preventive measures and sought the detailed report about it to be present before the court on the next hearing.

A two-member bench of PHC headed by Chief Justice heard the case filed via Saifullah Muhib Kaka Khel Advocate during which Additional Advocate General Syed Sikandar Hayat Shah, Program Manager Malaria Control Dr Rehman Afridi and representative of Director General Health Saleem Javed appeared before the court.

Chief Justice remarked that the dengue situation was once again out of control in the province and asked what steps had been taken by the government? The Program Manager Malaria Control Dr Rehman Afridi informed the court that there were 1,724 confirmed cases of dengue in the province and 140 patients were under treatment at the hospitals.

He further said that Peshawar, Buner and Khyber were among the most affected districts. He added that in Peshawar 384 cases had been reported so far.

The court inquired about the status of the spray campaigns to contain the spread of dengue and about the worst hit areas of Peshawar. The program manager said that Sarband, Sufid Deheri, Achini Bala and Pishtakhara villages were on the top of the reported cases and WSSP was conducting spray campaigns in the affected areas to bring the situation under control and stop the spread of the disease. He claimed that around 36,000 households had been covered by the spray teams. He added that a weekly meeting is being held with Chief Secretary and the ground situation is monitored on a daily basis too.

Chief Justice directed the district administration, WSSP and TMA to take preventive measures and conduct fog sprays in the affected areas in order to stop the spread of the disease. The court also ordered the K-P Health Department to submit a detailed report on the dengue situation in the province and fixed the next hearing on October 27.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 6^th, 2021.