There were 100 cases reported last year,” he said. “However, this year no one has fallen victim to the virus. PHOTO: EXPRESS
Not a single case of dengue has been reported in 2015 from Mingora, Swat District Health Officer Dr Syed Ali Khan told The Express Tribune on Monday.
“There were 100 cases reported last year,” he said. “However, this year no one has fallen victim to the virus.”
According to Khan, some local newspapers had reported dengue and malaria had spread in Mingora and its outskirts. “These areas are highly congested and residents are more prone to diseases,” he said.
Speaking to The Express Tribune over the phone, Syed Mohiuddin, in charge of the dengue cell in the city, said these newspaper reports were alarming.
“We sent a team to the area,” he said. “However, after a thorough examination, no traces of the diseases were found.”
However, Khan sent multiple teams to Mingora and Saidu Sharif to 19,880 areas as a precaution and found the larvae of dengue and malaria at 353 places.
“The teams destroyed them by fumigating the entire city and its outskirts,” said the district health officer. “However, the newspapers mistook the illness to be dengue.” According to the district health officer, the government is taking steps to tackle not just malaria and dengue but also other diseases caused by mosquitoes.
“Blaming the government and health department for every disease is not a healthy sign,” he said. “People should take care of their personal hygiene.”
Published in The Express Tribune, July 14th, 2015.
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