ISLAMABAD: The tally of deaths from dengue rose to five in the capital as one more patient died of the disease on Thursday.

District Health Officer (DHO) Dr Zaeem Zia said the deceased was a resident of Itefaq Colony, Tarnol, and admitted to Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH) Rawalpindi.

During the last 24 hours, 96 dengue cases emerged in the capital, Dr Zia said, adding 59 of the cases were reported from the rural and 37 from the urban areas.

He said 39 patients were admitted to the Holy Family Hospital, four to the BBH, three to the DHQ hospital Rawalpindi and two to Polyclinic Islamabad, the DHO said, adding 48 other patients were admitted to private hospitals.

Dr Zia said 33 cases were reported from Tarlai followed by nine each from Tarnol and Koral, three from Sohan, two from Alipur and one each from Kirpa, Sihala and Bhara Kahu.

The tally of the dengue cases in the capital reached 815, out which 545 cases were reported from the rural areas and 270 from the urban areas, he added.

Capital reports 96, Rawalpindi 30 cases

The District Health Office is also increasing houses indoor residual spray (IRS) and fogging activities to prevent the spread and eliminate the potential breeding sites of larva, he said, adding 2,906 house IRS and 4,659 fogging activities were conducted.

During the last 24 hours, teams eliminated 968 potential breeding sites at Shah Allahdita, G-7, Phulgran and Pind Beghwal, Bhara Kahu, Rawat, Model Town, Sihala, Sohan, Tarlai, Jhangi Syedan, Chirrah, Tumair, and Jagiot and Kurri, Dr Zia said.

Besides, 13 houses were found with stagnant water in Bhara Kahu, Rawat, Model Town, Sihala.

Rawalpindi

As many as 30 dengue patients on Thursday reported to Holy Family Hospital, Benazir Bhutto Hospital and District Headquarters Hospital.

Most of the patients arrived from cantonment areas where the Rawalpindi and Chaklala Cantonment Boards have failed to start fumigation.

According to the data of the Punjab government, 14 patients arrived from RCB areas, four from CCB areas, five from city areas, one each from Taxila and Potohar Town.

During the last one week, the district health authority teams found dengue larvae at 1,734 houses, including 603 houses in Rawalpindi Cantonment Board area, 555 in city areas, 491 in Potohar Town and 85 houses in Taxila.

A senior official of the health authority said mostly the dengue larvae was detected in Dhama Syedan Union Council, Lakkhan, Dhoke Hassu, Dhoke Hukamdad, Pirwadhai and adjoining areas of cantonment board, including Dhoke Hafiz, Westridge, Habib Colony and Allahabad.

He said the health authority paid attention to stop the spread of dengue virus in housing societies instead of thickly populated areas of the city only last month. He said all graveyards in the municipal corporation and cantonment board areas were in bad shape till Muharram when the locals cleaned them on their own instead of the civic agency.

“The RCB paid attention only on Racecourse graveyard where civilians are not allowed to bury their dead bodies, and failed to clean the graveyards in Allahabad, Naseerabad, Tench Bhatta and etc,” he said.

Attock

Two patients, including a woman, succumbed to dengue in Mohammadpur and New Town areas of Attock city.

It has been learnt that dengue cases were rising in residential areas of Meharabad, Sabirabad, Meladnagar, Shaheedabad, Roshanpura, Mohallah old post office and adjourning areas.

Fogging was carried out in these areas while drains are open and rusty sewerage pipes were causing leakage of sewage in many places becoming breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

Talking to this reporter, Saleem Ahmed, a resident of Meeladnagar, said that dengue had affected many people but the district health office of the municipal committee was paying no heed towards the situation.

Meanwhile, residents of the area also called upon the health authorities to launch a crackdown on private laboratories who were fleecing patients by charging them exorbitantly for dengue tests. They said earlier they were charging Rs200 per test but now they have increased it Rs400 per test.

Meanwhile, health authorities in Hassanabdal swung into action with screening of the city for potential sites of the dengue larva.

Dr Jamshaid, the focal person for dengue, confirmed the spread of the mosquito borne disease in the city. He said that a number of patients have recovered after remaining under treatment at the THQ hospital.

Chief Executive Officer District Health Authority Dr Jawwad Ellahi said the number of confirmed dengue patients in Hassanabdal was 10 and they belonged to Meeladnagar locality. He said three of the patients were admitted to the tehsil headquarters hospital. He said that the health department had launched a programme to check the spread of dengue.

Rejecting the allegation of no action, he said concerned health authorities in collaboration with the tehsil municipal committee was taking all possible measures to check dengue larvae and mosquito breeding spots in the city.

He added that they were continuously conducting fogging around the houses of positive patients.

“The health department conducted fogging in roughly 50 houses in the vicinity of a positive patient.”

Responding to a question, Dr Ellahi said the tehsil headquarters hospital Hassanabdal was well equipped to cater to the dengue patients.

Published in Dawn, October 8th, 2021