Over 3,300 FIRs have been registered in Rawalpindi and Murree for violations of dengue prevention guidelines, as authorities take legal measures to control the spread, it emerged on Thursday.
In Rawalpindi, nearly 129,000 teams inspected over 4.4 million houses and found larvae in 91,909 of them, In Murree, 167 teams surveyed 427,955 houses and detected larvae in 2,178.
Overall, 1.17m sites were inspected, of which 106,062 tested positive for dengue larvae.
As a result, 1,458 premises were also sealed, and 3,085 challans were issued, resulting in fines of over Rs 7.5m in Rawalpindi.
Read: Dengue cases rise to 90 in K-P
In murree, 983 premises were sealed and fines amounting to Rs844,000 were imposed.
Officials said the crackdown on SOP violations, coupled with large-scale surveillance, would continue in the coming weeks as part of efforts to contain the outbreak.
Rising cases
A total of 176 confirmed dengue cases have been reported in Rawalpindi and Murree this season, with 23 new infections emerging in the past 24 hours.
Dengue, transmitted by a mosquito species that breeds in stagnant water, remains a growing concern especially with monsoon rains and flooding across the country.
Despite the rising number of patients, no dengue-related deaths have been recorded in either district.
According to district health officials, Rawalpindi has reported 99 confirmed cases to date, while Murree has registered 77.
Read more: Disease outbreaks surge in monsoon
Currently, 94 patients are receiving treatment in hospitals. Punjab health authorities have also established dozens of emergency medical camps in affected districts.
"Floodwaters destroy sanitation systems, mix sewage with drinking water, and provide breeding grounds for mosquitoes. Unless immediate preventive steps are taken, Punjab may witness an exponential rise in dengue, malaria, and waterborne diseases over the coming weeks," warned an epidemiologist, while speaking to The Express Tribune.
More than 15,400 patients of dengue fever, malaria, diarrhoea, skin infections and other seasonal diseases have been registered in the province over the past month, according to official health record.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ