RAWALPINDI: As many as 195 new dengue patients landed in three govt hospitals in Rawalpindi on Sunday, taking the tally to 543.

There was no let-up in the dengue patients from Dhoke Munshi, Dhoke Kala Khan, Raheemabad adjacent to Chaklala Scheme-III, Afzal Town and Westridge.

Due to the improper work of dengue detection and spray of medicine in the affected areas, Additional Deputy Commissioner (headquarters) Saima Younas reprimanded health authority officials as the supervisors of the areas were absent from their duties.

66 cases detected in AJK, five patients test positive in Taxila, Wah

In a visit to Mazharabad, Dhoke Kala Khan, the additional deputy commissioner found that the health authority supervisors were absent from their duties and due to this, the lady health workers who had been called from other tehsils failed to do the work properly.

The district administration also wrote a letter to Punjab Health Department against Holy Family Hospital, Benazir Bhutto Hospital and District Headquarters Hospital for registering 73 patients from Islamabad.

She said the hospitals’ officials wrongly mentioned these patients in Rawalpindi whereas they belonged to Islamabad. She said 543 suspected patients had been admitted to the three hospitals on Sunday. As many as 363 dengue patients were still hospitalised while 175 were discharged.

66 dengue patients detected in AJK

As many as 66 dengue fever cases have been detected in AJK, 56 of them from Muzaffarabad district alone, a meeting was told on Sunday.

Presided over by Chief Secretary Mathar Niaz Rana, the meeting was attended by secretary health Maj-Gen Tahir Sardar, Director General Health Services Sardar Aftab Ahmed Khan, Divisional Commissioners of Muzaffarabad and Poonch and other officers concerned.

The meeting was informed that no casualty had occurred from the viral disease and that the health department was providing round the clock treatment facilities to all victims.

The chief secretary directed that the district and tehsil level committees should immediately convene their meetings to launch a dengue control awareness campaign so as to help people protect themselves from the problem.

He said the district administration and civic bodies concerned should manage sprinkling of anti-dengue spray at all suspected breeding places of larvae on the pattern of the Punjab government.

The meeting decided that the secretary health would monitor the awareness and spray campaigns throughout the state.

Five test positive in Taxila, Wah

Five dengue positive cases surfaced while 543 suspected patients were reported to hospitals in Taxila and Wah Cantonment.

The dengue patients had come from Wahdat Colony, Taxila Cantt, Quaid-i-Azam Street Nawababad and Asifabad, Wah Cantt.

In Sept 2018, four patients had tested positive for dengue virus: two from Wahdat Colony, one from Ahmed Nagar and one from Asifabad.

Despite being high risk areas, the civic bodies, including Cantonment Board Wah, Town Municipal Authority (TMA) Taxila and the local health department failed to take precautionary measures.

Statistical officer health department Mohammad Dauraiz confirmed to Dawn that five patients had tested positive for the dengue fever while 543 suspected and 48 probable patients had so far reported to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital Taxila.

Responding a question, he said the highest number of patients – 180 – was reported in August. He said the health department had no data about patients being treated in private hospitals as well as health centres run by defence organisations.

Israr Ahmed, the incharge of the anti-dengue teams, said the confirmed and suspected patients were referred to public sector hospitals in Rawalpindi for proper treatment. He said the anti-dengue teams, comprising 87 sanitary patrols, had been taking precautionary measures as a result of which no causality was reported in the tehsil this year.

He said all available resources were being utilised to check the spread of dengue.

He confirmed that the health department did not have data on the number of patients treated at private or military hospitals in Taxila and Wah.

“Threat of spread of dengue fever will end as soon as the weather changes,” he added.

When contacted, spokesman for Cantonment Board Wah Aamir Mehdi said the public health department of the cantonment under supervision of sanitary inspector and in collaboration with the health department had carried out necessary fogging around the area where the dengue patients were reported.

Responding a question, he said a full-scale fumigation drive was underway in different localities of the city, especially where dengue larva had been found. He said all efforts were being made to control dengue cases in cantonment area, adding “the situation is under control.”

Deputy District Health Officer Dr Sarah Qadeer said soon after the confirmation of the dengue patients teams visited their houses and nearby areas and carried out fogging and indoor residual spraying.

Responding a question, she said during the last two years dengue cases had surfaced in September. There is nothing to be worried about and the health department has not declared a dengue emergency.

Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2019