MINGORA: The anti-dengue campaign was accelerated in the high-risk areas after two dengue fever cases were recorded here on Wednesday.

The first suspected dengue patient identified as Shaukat Ali belonging to Rajaabad area of Mingora was admitted to the Saidu Teaching Hospital (STH) on Tuesday and the second patient, Noor Bacha, was brought to the hospital on Wednesday from Amni area of Shangla district.

Mr Bacha was working in a coalmine in Balochistan where he contracted dengue fever.

“I went to medical technicians in Balochistan who give me different injections, but my fever got severe and I returned home. My family members immediately brought me to the STH where it has been detected as dengue fever,” said Mr Bacha.

Regarding the first case, district health officer Dr Syed Ali Khan told Dawn that the blood sample of Mr Ali had been sent to the National Institute of Health, Islamabad, for confirmation.

“When the dengue case was notified we sent the rapid response team to check his house and surrounding area. Though his house was clean, larvae were found in water pots in his neighborhood which were destroyed,” the DHO said.

He said that afterwards a full activity was conducted in which breeding spots were destroyed and fogging carried out in the entire area. He claimed that the district health department had enough resources to tackle the problem.

Dengue epidemic appeared in Swat for the first time in 2013 which infected more than 9,000 people. According to official figures, 32 dengue patients had died at that time. In 2014, only 310 cases were registered while no casualty was recorded due to dengue in Swat. In 2013, the first dengue case was reported in August and the following year the first case was recorded in June. The current dengue case in Mingora is the first of the year in Swat.

Published in Dawn, August 6th, 2015

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