No let up: At least 20 new dengue cases confirmed in capital

Total number of cases in twin cities soars to 346

ISLAMABAD:

The Rawalpindi district health department continues to struggle to control the spread of dengue. Moreover, the spread of the virus has now also become a potential threat for Islamabad, where 50 cases have been confirmed so far.

Out of the 50 cases reported in the capital, 20 are residents of Islamabad while the remaining live in nearby areas.

Health experts fear that over the Eid weekend, mass movement of people from areas where the disease is on the rise could lead to an increase in the number of the patients in Islamabad.

According to an official at the Rawalpindi health department who asked not to be named, during the last 24 hours, 22 fresh cases fever have been reported in the city, taking the total to 326.

He said Rawal Town is one area that has been badly affected as it is host to 80 per cent of the reported cases. “Even last year, a majority of dengue fever cases were reported from there — it seems the area has become a hub for mosquitoes,” he said.

Surveillance teams have found eight to nine larvas from every 100 houses they visited, which shows that mosquitoes have found safe breeding grounds inside homes, he said.

“The reason is that people store water at home due to supply shortages. This water is a potential breeding ground for mosquitoes,” he said.

He further said that the government can destroy breeding grounds which are on roads and in commercial areas, but cannot search every house. “It is the responsibility of the inmates to take precautionary measures,” he added.

Islamabad cases

Meanwhile talking to The Express Tribune, Dr Najeeb Durrani, the dengue surveillance cell in charge at the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) said out of the 50 confirmed dengue cases, 11 have been reported from urban and nine from rural Islamabad, 25 from Rawalpindi, and rest from Charsadda, Mardan, Haripur, Mansehra and other parts of the region.

“The continuous movement of people carrying the virus has become a major threat in Islamabad,” he said, adding that there is a need to take extra precautionary measures, especially during Eid when there will be mass movement of people across the country.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 20^th, 2015.