RAWALPINDI: As many as 114 more dengue cases emerged on Friday, taking the tally of the current season to 2,504 in the district.

Officials said 493 patientsreported to the three government hospitals in the last 24 hours and 114 of them were confirmed denguecases.

A total of 491 denguepatientsare admitted in the hospitals - 31 in Holy Family Hospital, five in Rawalpindi Teaching Hospital, 34 in Benazir Bhutto Hospital and seven in private hospitals.

Most of the patientsarrived from Dhamial, Dhoke Munshee, Chak Jalal Din, Rehmatabad, Girja, Raniyal, Khayaban Janobi, Dhoke Kashmirian, New Parrian, Shakrial, Dhoke Kala Khan, Muslim Town, Cha Sultan, Chamanzar, Dhoke Hassu, Peshawar Road Afshan Colony, Dhoke Syedan, Gulistan Colony, Dheri Hassanabad, Tench Bhatta, Adra and adjoining areas of Rawalpindi and Chaklala cantonments.

A total of 491 patientsare admitted in Holy Family Hospital, Rawalpindi Teaching Hospital, Benazir Bhutto Hospital and private health units, says official

According to official figures, three denguepatientsare critical.

Meanwhile, Commissioner Aamir Khattak on Friday directed the health teams to visit government departments once again and check cleanliness and dengue larvae.

“Those government departments where larvae are found even after issuing certificates will be sealed.” He said that duties of divisional heads of all government departments had been assigned for internal monitoring in high risk union councils and there was zero tolerance for absence.

“Internal monitors should ensure the quality of anti-dengue activities as well as provide full awareness to the people in their area,” he said.

He said that we need cooperation from the public only to this extent that they may keep their houses clean and immediately report to the nearby hospital in case of fever.

In a briefing, the Health Department said 114 confirmed patients had been reported in Rawalpindi district during the last 24 hours, after which the number of total confirmed patients had reached 2,504 this year.

Out of them, 2,184 have been discharged after treatment while 491 are undergoing treatment in different hospitals. The violators of dengue SOPs posed a danger not only to themselves but also to people around them. Therefore, strict punitive actions are been taken against those involved in violations in spite of repeated notices and warnings.

A total of 49 FIRs have been registered, 11 challans issued and 13 buildings sealed in Rawalpindi district in the 24 hours while a fine of Rs1.3 million was also imposed.

Taxila

The local health department reported 38 confirmed dengue cases — 14 in ward 7, six in ward 6 of Wah, four in union council Jallala and three in union council Sarai Kala of Taxila. Besides 3,061 suspected patients, there are 22 probable patients who have symptoms of dengue but their test reports are awaited.

According to sources, 97 breeding sites have been identified in the area, including 15 in Union Council (UC) Jalla, 14 in UC Gari Sikandar, eight in UC Thatta Khalil and five in UC Khurram Paracha. Health experts and social circles attributed the increase in dengue positive cases to the failure of the civic bodies to identify hotspots and carry out larvicide spray in the high risk areas.

“No anti-dengue measures including timely fogging were taken during the breeding season even in high risk areas from where in the past dengue positive cases had been reported,” said Munaza Peerzada, chairperson of an NGO.

Saeed Siddiqui, a social worker, said contrary to the past no anti-dengue measures were taken.

Asmat Jaffri, a resident of ward 7 of Wah Cantonment, while talking to this reporter said, “When the situation deteriorates only then our health department and local administration wake up.”

When contacted, chief officer municipal committee Hansen Karamat said fogging was being carried out in high risk areas by special teams.

Deputy District Officer (health) Dr Shahzad Rasool confirmed to Dawn that the number of dengue positive patients was increasing.

Responding to a question regarding anti-dengue measures, he said that special teams of the health department lodged cases against 94 persons for not adopting anti-dengue measures, especially junkyard owners, tyre shops, service stations and block factories. Moreover, 63 commercial premises were sealed after larva was found there.

(Amjad Iqbal contributed to this story from Taxila).

Published in Dawn, October 12th, 2024