RAWALPINDI: Four dengue patients died on Saturday-Sunday night while 828 suspected patients landed in the three government hospitals in the city.

Though the Punjab government is monitoring the anti-dengue campaign, the virus is spreading in the city. There are currently 631 confirmed dengue patients in the three hospitals.

The Holy Family Hospital (HFH) received 384 patients on Sunday while 287 patients arrived in Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH) and 157 in District headquarters (DHQ) Hospital.

Husnain Jan, 17, Mohammad Sagheer, 46, from Adiala Road; Suryia Bibi, 65, from Dhoke Ellahi Bux, Amjad Tariq, 64, from Dhoke Kala Khan, and Amna Bibi, 26, from Gulraiz-II died at dengue wards of the BBH and the HFH.

Doctors said a report about the deaths had been sent to the Dengue Expert Advisory Group (DEAG) in Lahore, saying the patients were facing some other ailments too. They said DEAG would check the medical history of the patients.

Health experts feared more patients would arrive in the hospitals in coming days due to the decrease in the temperature.

“After the heavy rains, the health department should have paid attention on low-lying areas adjacent to Leh Nullah,” said a doctor working in a government hospital.

He said there was a dire need to carry out fumigation in all the union councils soon after the heavy spell of rains in the summer. He said people should also take precautionary measures to avoid the dengue virus .

Deputy Commissioner Saifullah Khan Dogar told Dawn that teams were assigned the task of checking dengue larvae.

He said more teams would be deployed in sensitive areas as the number of suspected patients reporting to hospitals increased from 18 union councils.

He asked the cantonment authorities and Pakistan railways to improve the sanitation condition in their respective areas and colonies and drain out water from vacant plots.

Meanwhile, provincial ministers and senior officials spent a busy day in Rawalpindi on Sunday.

Punjab Minister for Literacy, Informal Education and Incharge Minister of Anti-Dengue Measures Raja Rashid Hafeez, Minister for Colonies Fayyazul HasanChohan, Advisor to Chief Minister on Dengue Dr Waseem Akram, Chairman Punjab Education Foundation Wasiq Qayum Abbasi and others visited different areas and inspected the working of anti-dengue teams.

They also monitored the performance of supervisors, doctors and sanitary patrols at their respective workplaces and asked the inhabitants about the performance of the field staff.

Commissioner Rawalpindi Saqib Zafar during a visit to different localities stressed the need for public awareness.

The deputy commissioner said entomologists were evaluating the outbreak of dengue. He said vigorous efforts were required to wipe up dengue.

The performance of filter clinics was also reviewed during the visits.

Published in Dawn, September 30th, 2019