Five dengue cases surface in Peshawar

PESHAWAR:

A dengue outbreak has been reported from the Gulbahar No 2 Jan Colony in Peshawar, setting alarm bells ringing in the health department.

Dengue has been detected in five individuals, including four children, residing in the same neighbourhood. All of those affected belong to an Afghan refugee family.

So far, 37 suspected dengue cases have been reported from Peshawar.

This was revealed in a meeting of the District Dengue Prevention and Response Unit, chaired by Additional Deputy Commissioner Relief Peshawar Asghar Surani, in which activities for dengue control in Peshawar were reviewed in depth.

The meeting was attended by health department staff and representatives of line departments, who presented performance reports.

It was revealed in the meeting that a water shortage in the locality during the scorching heatwave had forced local residents to store water which had subsequently become a breeding ground for dengue larvae.

In response, authorities have conducted fogging and indoor residual spraying (IRS) in the area to control the spread of the disease and surveillance is underway to monitor the situation.

The Additional Deputy Commissioner was briefed on the five dengue cases reported from Gulbahar, with four cases originating from the same household.

He directed that the source of the outbreak be promptly identified and the area made safe by eradicating the larvae.

He also urged civil dispensary officials and field staff to intensify anti-dengue operations and take swift action to prevent the further spread of the disease.

He was informed that a comprehensive awareness campaign had been conducted in the area, mosquito nets had been distributed among residents, and measures such as mechanical sweeping, fogging and IRS had been implemented.

Asghar Surani stressed that no dengue case should go unreported, emphasizing the importance of immediate reporting to identify the source and take prompt preventive measures.