Dengue spreads to 10 districts

Lahore, Rawalpindi and South Punjab remain at high risk

LAHORE:

A wave of dengue fever that broke out during the monsoon season has spread to 10 districts of Punjab with a high risk of proliferating across the province if the government fails to take effective preventive steps.

The provincial health authorities and district administrations appear helpless to handle the dengue threat as 42 new patients of the disease were registered on Saturday. The figure was the highest for a day in the province during the ongoing year.

Of the 42 fresh cases, as many as 22 were reported in Lahore during the past 24 hours. Rawalpindi and Multan were also among the districts registering a large number of cases.

The other fresh dengue patients were registered in Faisalabad, Kasur, Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, Rajanpur, Gujranwala and Attock.

According to an official of the dengue monitoring department, the prevalence of the disease had already been at a serious level in three districts of Punjab two month back. It spread to 10 districts after the monsoon rains, with Lahore, Multan and Rawalpindi facing a critical situation.

"Today we received the highest number of patients in this season as 42 new dengue cases were confirmed in Punjab, while a couple's of days earlier we had received 38 patients,” a senior official of the monitoring cell of the primary and secondary healthcare department told The Express Tribune.

A total of 888 dengue patients have been registered in Punjab this year with Lahore accounting for 304 of them.

In last 24 hours, 22 new dengue patients were confirmed in Lahore, seven in Rawalpindi and three in Multan district. Thus the tally for the year of Rawalpindi rose to 137 and Multan 132.

However, the situation in South Punjab may also become critical in coming days, especially in districts affected by floods, the official warned. “Bahawalpur, Multan and Bahawalnagr are among the districts of South Punjab where dengue is spreading.

The monsoon rains are continuing with more downpour likely in parts of South Punjab,” the official said, calling for gearing up efforts to protect the citizens.

He said there had also been complaints that anti-dengue spray had not been started in the several areas, including some hotspots in Lahore. The district administration has also not drained the rainwater pooled in parts of the city.

Punjab Primary and Secondary Healthcare Secretary Ali Jan Khan said the department had already allocated 2,678 hospital beds in the province for dengue patients and only 30 of them were currently occupied. He said no death caused by dengue fever had been recorded in Punjab during the year.

The official appealed to the people to maintain cleanliness around their homes and let water pool in their areas.

He said the people should cooperate with the anti-dengue teams and contact the free helpline 1033 to for information regarding the disease.

A former medical superintendent of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Dr Abdul Basit, said. "This is the time when a comprehensive awareness campaign should be launched regarding dengue. Mostly schoolchildren, government employees and old people visiting parks and mosques face the risk of dengue mosquito bite.”

He said the sections of the population at a high risk should be guided regarding the dress required to protect themselves and treatment of dengue fever.

He said the coming three months would be risky with respect to dengue.

The doctor also stressed the need for adequate arrangements at hospitals to test and treat the patients and for the anti-dengue teams and district governments to fulfil their duties.

He said the provincial capital was in the grip of dengue fever.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 27^th, 2023.