Dengue emergency to be lifted as cases drop
Officials have declared that the dengue virus has disappeared from the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad as temperatures dropped with the onset of winter.
After the drop in the number of cases, anti-dengue meetings have been scheduled to be held for three days.
According to officials, the dengue emergency will be lifted while dengue wards in all hospitals will be done away with by December 1.
According to health officials, the number of dengue patients in allied hospitals in Rawalpindi has come down to 100 with a record decline. All these patients were recovering fast and in the next 3 to 7 days, all of them will be discharged from hospitals.
Orders have also been issued to prepare a new anti-dengue micro plan for the next year, 2022. The new anti-dengue micro plan has been directed to be completed by January 31, officials said. The new anti-dengue campaign will be launched from February 15 as soon as the spring begins.
This year, 250 dengue workers were recruited for the anti-dengue campaign. After the drop in the number of cases, they will all be relieved of their duty from December 1.
Earlier, after a third-party survey, show-cause notices were issued to 36 anti-dengue workers, including 24 female and 12 male workers, for being absent from duty.
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The female dengue workers included Musarat Bibi, Salma Firdous, Tahira Bibi, Mehreen, Uroosa, Saba, Nazia Manzoor, Sehrish, Sanam, Anila, Samina, Hina, Maimona, Um-e-Rubab, Maryam, Uzma, Mahnoor, Naila, Samina Bibi, Sehrish, Amina Bibi, Saima Nisar, Yasmeen Kausar, Kainat. The male workers included Yasir, Suleiman, Arshad, Mohsin, Rajab, Afaq, Haris, Maratab, Hamza, and Ijaz Ahmad.
They have been summoned to respond to the show-cause notice issued against them.
During the campaign, dengue larvae were found in under-construction buildings and cases were registered against six owners of such buildings.
At a meeting chaired by the Rawalpindi deputy commissioner on Friday, the participants expressed satisfaction over the falling number of dengue cases.
The deputy commissioner said that the anti-dengue campaign should be started ahead of time next year. All areas where a large number of dengue cases surfaced will be declared hotspots for next year. These areas will be the focus of the new year’s anti-dengue campaign.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 20th, 2021.