As the government grapples with burgeoning public expenditure amidst a deepening financial crisis, a delay in funding for dengue prevention risks instigating a health crisis.
According to the Dengue Control Manager, Dr. Qasim Afridi, the government has delayed transferring funds worth Rs350 million for the prevention and awareness campaign for dengue.
This comes as a bolt out of the blue for the health authorities who were expecting further assistance from the government following the recent rise in cases of dengue fever.
“Dengue cases usually peak during the months of April and May in K-P, however 10 have already been reported just at the beginning of March,” said a source from the Health Department.
While dengue fever poses a threat to the health and safety of all citizens, those residing in areas like Peshawar, Mardan, Haripur, Khyber and Nowshera face a doubled threat given the topography of the regions where standing bodies of glacial water act as breeding grounds for the larvae of the dengue mosquitos.
Therefore, in case preventative measures are not taken beforehand for eliminating the larvae in these regions, the virus risks spreading into other nearby areas.
As Ali Khan, a local from the Palosai area of Peshawar confirmed, “A majority of the dengue cases reported from K-P originated in our locality. Why does the government not take the matter seriously,” he questioned.
The direness of the situation is evident in the fact that up to 23,000 dengue cases including 18 deaths were reported in K-P last year.
While Dr. Afridi asserts that the healthcare system in K-P is equipped to deal with a dengue epidemic, he still stresses the importance of preventing an outbreak in the first place, since once the disease becomes endemic, it can trigger a crisis beyond the countering capabilities of the hospitals.
Therefore, in order to actualize the preventative goals, the Larva Surveillance campaign had been initiated across the province from January 2023 onwards, with weekly meetings being held involving the Deputy Commissioner and District Health Officer,” said Dr Afridi.
In these campaigns locals were educated on the ways in which dengue can be prevented, especially with regards to the usage of mosquito nets and repellants. On a similar note, fogging and spraying was carried out on a large scale to destroy the larva in stagnant water.
Following the government’s inability to deliver funds on time, the Larva Surveillance Campaign had to utilize last year’s funds worth Rs104 million.
“While our teams are educating the general public to the best of our abilities, the government must realize its duties towards the people and must invest in their well-being by transferring the allocated funds in a timely manner,” concluded Dr Afridi.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 20th, 2023.
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