Slowly but surely: Swat working hard to leave dengue outbreak behind

Assistant commissioner says 500 patients have recovered from the virus so far.

MINGORA:

Over 500 patients of dengue have recovered from the virus after receiving treatment at Saidu Teaching Hospital (STH) since the recent outbreak in Swat, Assistant Commissioner Farukh Ateeq said on Friday.

During a briefing at the district commissioner’s (DC) office, Ateeq informed the participants of arrangements taken by the district government and health department to tackle the problem. He said the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government has approved Rs40 million for emergency treatment of dengue infected patients besides allocating Rs5 million for diagnosis.

The meeting was attended by members of humanitarian organisations and civil society along with social activists and journalists.

Talking about the data on dengue patients, Ateeq said district health department officials and lady health workers will visit houses and collect detailed information regarding those affected in the district. “The staff will not only collect data, but will also distribute pamphlets about dengue at each house,” he said. The awareness campaign will conclude by Monday and they will then have updated statistics.

Ateeq thanked government officials for taking stringent steps to control the outbreak in Swat. “The government is serious in eliminating this virus from the district and the frequent visits of high-ups and ministers are proof of that,” said the assistant commissioner, adding Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan, K-P Chief Minister Pervez Khattak and K-P health minister along with health secretary have visited STH to assess the situation.

Ateeq also appreciated the efforts of medical teams from Punjab and Khyber Medical University (KMU) who assisted the hospital staff in treating patients. He urged the media and civil society to take active part in awareness campaigns regarding the virus, its symptoms and protective steps.

According to unofficial data gathered by youth activists from the state-run hospital and private clinics, the number of dengue patients in the valley has crossed 10,000. Meanwhile, the district government cancelled weekend holidays of the education, health, social welfare and municipal departments as an emergency measure to counter the outbreak.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 31^st, 2013.