RAWALPINDI: As many as 38 more dengue patients landed in the three government hospitals in the city, taking the season’s tally to 600.

Officials said 116 patients were admitted to the hospitals’ dengue wards and 58 of them were confirmed cases while the serology reports of the rest were awaiting.

Among the new confirmed dengue patients, 17 are in Holy Family Hospital, 17 in District Headquarters Hospital, 12 in Benazir Bhutto Hospital, two in Social Security Hospital and four in private hospitals.

Most of the patients arrived from Bhatta Chowk, Satellite Town, Chaklala, Morgah, Naseerabad, Dheri Hassanabad, Shukriyal, Palm City Chaklala Scheme-III, Kali Tanki Saidpur Road, Landa bazaar, Tipu Road, Dhoke Chiraghddin and adjoining areas.

According to official figures, nine dengue patients are critical while the remaining are getting treatment in the hospitals.

The officials said the district administration had increased efforts for fogging in the dengue-hit areas. They said 22,427 houses were checked and dengue larvae were found in 1,087 houses. Moreover, 7,755 commercial and outdoor spots were checked and dengue larvae were found in 196 of the places.

They said 51 FIRs had been registered against commercial building owners where dengue larvae had been found, one building was sealed and Rs152,000 fines were imposed on those who failed to adopt safety measures against the virus.

As the number of dengue patients is increasing in the city, the District Health Authority failed to start fogging in all the union councils. In the past, fogging was started in low-lying areas in August but the authority is yet to launch such an activity in the areas, especially adjacent to Leh Nullah from where most of the dengue cases have been reported.

A senior official of the district administration told Dawn that the patients arrived in hospitals from the city and cantonment areas, adding it was the duty of the health authority to spray anti-dengue medicines in affected areas to stop further spread of the virus.

He said Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation (RMC) also failed to launch action against tyre shops in Chah Sultan where stagnant water on rooftops of workshops and plazas could become a breeding point for dengue mosquitoes. He said more than 10 patients had arrived in hospitals from Ammarpura. He said in graveyards in Ratta Amral, Raja Zafarul Haq Road and Jadeed graveyard water had also accumulated, but RMC failed to drain it out and clear bushes.

Published in Dawn, September 18th, 2023