As the city experiences back-to-back rain spells leading to inundation of low-lying parts of the city as well as neighbourhoods along the Leh Nullah, the local administration has stepped up anti-dengue measures to preempt the spread of the mosquito-borne disease.
Deputy Commission Dr Hassan Waqar Cheema told Dawn that the anti-dengue campaign had been up and running for the past month and claimed that the number of patients was much lower compared to the previous few seasons. He said only 32 patients had been reported this year in the district, adding that efforts to eradicate dengue had been going on successfully.
He said there was still a need to create awareness among people as stagnant water accumulated near water tanks and air-conditioners provided an ideal breeding ground for the larvae. He added that there was a need to educate people about preventive measures and they should cooperate with the teams who visit their houses for their own safety from the disease. The official said the health authorities had conducted sprays in the areas from where dengue patients were reported to eliminate the breeding sites.
According to the official, the dengue efforts were zeroed in on three union councils, Potohar Town, Rawal Town and Cantonment, due to the shortage of staff. These high-risk areas had been prioritised by the government to achieve maximum output from available resources. Likewise, the border areas of the twin cities – which report a disproportionate number of dengue cases – are being surveilled weekly by the joint teams of the Pindi and Islamabad administrations.
Meanwhile, Rawalpindi Medical University (RMU) Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Umer said that the hospitals were ready to handle any situation and dengue counters had been activated at the Red Crescent Hospital, Benazir Bhutto Hospital and the District Headquarters Hospital.
“We have made arrangements for 78 beds for male and female patients at the Red Crescent Hospital; once Holy Family Hospital becomes functional, the ward will be shifted there. We have made arrangements to accommodate 100 people each in Benazir Bhutto Hospital and the DHQ Hospital,” he said.
The administration is confident that the virus will not spread like the previous years, but experts are wary that the situation could quickly go out of hand due to some “loopholes” in the campaign.
A health expert told Dawn that fogging in the low-lying areas, especially along the Leh Nullah, should be started as the water accumulated near the banks of the nullah could become a breeding ground for dengue larvae.
He said that there were two main problems in the city and cantonment areas regarding dengue virus.
“One problem is that the city is adjacent to Islamabad having vast green areas and mostly patients arrived in three government-run hospitals from the border areas of Rawalpindi and Islamabad,” he said, adding that rainwater accumulated at under-construction sites and low-lying areas could also pose problems for the administration’s anti-dengue efforts.
In 2011, from August to December, Rawalpindi reported 668 dengue cases, followed by zero cases in 2012. In 2013 and 2014, 903 and 1,212 patients were respectively reported. In 2015, 3,303 patients were reported, and 1,118 patients arrived at the three above-mentioned hospitals in 2016. In 2017, a total of 334 cases were reported followed by 421 in 2018 and 6,659 in 2019. 17 cases were reported in 2020, 2500 in 2021, 4,763 in 2022, and 2,653 cases were reported in 2023.
Published in Dawn, August 12th, 2024
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