Dengue cases see uptick in twin cities

Health authorities say positive cases have jumped to 11 during last 36 hours

ISLAMABAD:

The number of dengue positive patients in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad has risen to 11, health authorities said on Sunday.

According to them, the suspected dengue patients in hospitals in the twin cities have reached 199 and of them, seven have been confirmed dengue positives in the Rawalpindi division and four in Islamabad.

Health authorities said that as compared to the last four years, the number of confirmed and suspected dengue patients is much higher this year in the Rawalpindi division which has rung the alarm bells for the citizens ahead of pre-monsoon and monsoon rains when the dengue larvae find ground for breeding and growth.

According to a report submitted to the Rawalpindi deputy commissioner by the district health officer, no dengue case was reported between January 1 and May 31 in 2019 and 2020 while two cases were reported during the same period in 2021 as compared to the seven cases this year in the same period.

According to the report, the dengue larvae were found in 1224 areas in Rawalpindi since January 1 and more hotspot areas are under surveillance.

According to the health authorities, 74 suspected dengue patients are admitted to the Holy Family Hospital, 43 to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital Gujar Khan, 20 to the Tehsil Headquarters hospital Kotli Satian, 20 to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital Taxila, 15 to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital Murree, nine to the Wah General Hospital, nine to the Kahuta Tehsil Headquarters Hospital, eight in Kalar Syedan Tehsil Headquarters Hospital and one to the District Headquarters Hospital Rawalpindi.

Rawalpindi Deputy Commissioner Tahir Farooq has issued strict instructions to mobile teams to contain the dengue by focusing on junkyards, cemeteries, open ponds and under-construction buildings.

District Health Authority Chief Executive Officer Dr Faiza has also ordered all dengue mobile teams to carry out strict monitoring of roofs, water tanks and animal and bird utensils in their respective areas on a daily basis.

She said that no negligence or poor performance by the mobile teams would be tolerated.

Due to the increasing number of dengue cases, special dengue wards have been set up at the Rawalpindi allied hospitals, where 240 beds have been allocated.

One hundred beds have been allotted to dengue patients at the Holy Family and the Benazir Bhutto General Hospital while 40 beds have been allocated at the District Headquarters Hospital Rawalpindi.

Instructions have also been issued to put together test reports of suspected dengue patients within 24 hours, they said.

The executive officer of the metropolitan corporation said that fumigation and sprays have been started besides destroying wild bushes and herbs from cemeteries across the city.

Health officials said that larvae are still being found inside people’s homes, which is a major reason behind the continuing spread of the disease. They said that a majority of the larvae were found in drinking water storage containers inside homes and buckets of water stored in washrooms.

They said that indoor teams comprising women members as well visit homes to locate larvae and destroy them, while also educating people on the prevention and control of the disease.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 30^th, 2022.