Jobs of 2,000 dengue workers restored

Punjab health chief orders 90-day contract extension; cases in twin cities reach 134

RAWALPINDI:

The jobs of nearly 2,000 male and female dengue workers in Rawalpindi district, who were dismissed last week following the expiry of their contracts, have been restored on the orders of the director general of health, Punjab, Lahore.

The contracts of all the workers have been extended for another 90 days.

On Friday, the Rawalpindi health department telephoned the dismissed male and female workers to inform them about the restoration of their contracts and asked them to rejoin duty on Saturday, October 31, for another three-month period.

The contract extension has brought relief and happiness among the female dengue workers, who had been dismissed after their previous contracts expired.

However, the health department has refused to regularise the services of these workers.

Meanwhile, dengue infections continue to spread in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, taking the combined number of patients to 134, with two of them reportedly in critical condition. Of the total cases, 85 have been reported in Rawalpindi and 49 in Islamabad.

The number of patients may increase if heavy rainfall does not occur over the next two weeks. Rainfall, however, followed by severe cold could bring the dengue season to an end.

According to the health department, the peak dengue season and associated threat will persist until November 15. After that, dengue larvae are expected to die naturally due to the severe cold during the evenings, nights and early mornings.

Health officials have reportedly started hoping for immediate heavy rainfall to help bring the season to an end.

Anti-dengue activities in open areas along the boundary between Rawalpindi and Islamabad have not been properly updated due to jurisdictional disputes. As a result, dengue larvae have multiplied in these areas.

The health department said dengue larvae and mosquito populations had remained under control in Rawalpindi district this year.

The district's 1,400 anti-dengue teams have so far inspected 7,902,099 houses, open spaces, tyre shops, junkyards and buildings under construction. They detected dengue larvae at 241,942 locations.

A total of 2,798 FIRs were registered after the detection of larvae, while 690 properties were sealed. The authorities also issued 2,335 challans and imposed fines amounting to Rs3,156,000.

The health department said the drop in temperatures had reduced the presence of dengue mosquitoes in open areas, graveyards, tyre shops and junkyards.