Dengue cases drop in twin cities

Cold weather brings welcome relief to citizens, health officials

ISLAMABAD/RAWALPINDI:

After a downward trend in Covid-19 cases, the dengue virus appears to be loosening its grip with fast-approaching cold weather in Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

 The cold weather has also proved to be a blessing in disguise for officials as well as the citizens, who were constantly facing the threat since August.

 As the temperature dropped over the last one week in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, health officials have observed a sharp decline in dengue fever cases.

Health officials said that the dengue epidemic was expected to surrender its hold in the twin cities by mid-November and all hospitals will have no dengue patients by the end of November.

They said that due to low temperature and cold weather, the dengue larvae breeding in open pools, cemeteries and ponds had started to die.

In the last 24 hours, health workers and dengue control teams have not found any larvae in the twin cities but the threat remained there.

Epidemiologist and Assistant Executive Director of Federal Government Polyclinic Hospital Dr Abdul Wali Khan told The Express Tribune that if the temperature dropped to below 16 degrees Celsius, the spread of dengue will completely stop.

Dr Wali feared that in 2022 or 2023, there may be another dengue outbreak and that the epidemic situation will return to the proportion equal to that of 2019.

While the number of cases that surfaced in 2020 was comparatively low, 2021 saw a considerable increase in the spread of the infection, Dr Wali said adding that preventive measures needed to be taken so that the epidemic can be controlled on time.

He said that the dengue virus started infecting people in the 90s, but remained confined to Karachi for a long time. However, the vector started adapting to cooler temperatures and gradually moved up the country.

58 more infected in Islamabad

According to DHO Islamabad Dr Zaeem Zia, 58 new cases surfaced in the federal capital during the last 24 hours, bringing the total of infected people to 3,375. He said that of them. 11 people have succumbed to the virus so far.

The Islamabad DHO said that the highest number of 612 dengue cases was brought to the Holy Family Hospital Rawalpindi during the current season. Around 150 were brought to Benazir Bhutto Hospital Rawalpindi, 43 to DHQ Hospital Rawalpindi, 337 to the PIMS, 109 to the Polyclinic, 379 to the Federal General Hospital and 64 to the CDA Hospital.

So far, patients who have tested positive for the virus at private hospitals and laboratories in the twin cities number more than 1,500.

Dr Zia said that among all the cases in Islamabad, 1,976 emerged in rural areas, while 1,409 surfaced in urban areas.

In Rawalpindi, a total of 1,521 cases were reported so far and 116 dengue patients were getting treatment in Attock district, 23 in Chakwal and 16 in Jhelum district.

According to medical experts and health officials, the dengue cases in the Rawalpindi district will also see a decline in the next week and will be completely under control from the last week of November.

Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner Rawalpindi Muhammad Ali has said that despite the change of weather, orders have been issued to continue the search for dengue larvae in houses, under-construction buildings, junkyards and tyre shops.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 30^th, 2021.