Dengue threat escalates after monsoon rains

Six patients hospitalised as larvae detected at nearly 67k locations

RAWALPINDI:

The detection of six off-season dengue cases and the discovery of dengue larvae at nearly 67,000 locations across Rawalpindi have prompted the district health department to intensify its anti-dengue campaign amid ongoing monsoon rains, with officials ordering regular surveillance in high-risk union councils.

According to the health department officials, six dengue patients have been reported in the city over the past one and a half months and have been admitted to hospital for treatment.

During the same period, anti-dengue teams inspected approximately 1.24 million houses and 3.67m potential breeding sites, including tyre shops, scrapyards, open plots and basements.

The inspections led to the detection of dengue larvae at 56,964 houses and 10,380 outdoor locations, including tyre shops, scrapyards and other potential breeding sites.

As part of the enforcement campaign, authorities sealed 339 properties, registered 1,384 criminal cases at police stations against violators and issued 2,339 challans, imposing cumulative fines of Rs1.52m. Public health experts have described the ongoing monsoon season as an ideal period for the proliferation of dengue mosquitoes, warning that stagnant rainwater remaining for more than three days could rapidly become breeding grounds for larvae.

Experts urged residents to ensure that rainwater does not accumulate in or around their homes, warning that failure to eliminate stagnant water could significantly increase the risk of dengue transmission.