ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza on Tuesday said that over all 11,783 cases of dengue had been reported from across the country.

“However, as many as 95 per cent of the cases in Sindh were reported from Karachi and 84 per cent of the cases in Punjab from Rawalpindi,” he said at a press conference.

“This shows that both areas have become hotspots and efforts are being made to eradicate the mosquito and larvae through fumigation.”

Over 11,700 cases reported across country

He said that 2,827 cases were reported from Punjab, 2,474 from Sindh, 2,260 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 2,046 from Islamabad and 1,780 from Balochistan; some other cases were reported from Azad Jammu & Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Dr Mirza said that political parties should stop point-scoring over the issue as more cases, as compared to the current year, had been reported in the past. “In some countries, tens of thousands of cases are reported,” he said.

Referring to Islamabad, he said that the special dengue out-patient departments would remain open in Polyclinic hospital from 8am to 12 midnight, whereas in the Federal General Hospital, from 8am to 8pm. Separate doctors and staff have been assigned, he added.

According to Dr Mirza, as of Sept 23, 71 larvicidal, 344 spray sessions and 292 fogging activities have been carried out by the Directorate of Health Services of the Capital Development Authority, in Islamabad.

“1,000 extra beds are available in private hospitals free of cost but we have not used them to date,” he said. “Adequate medicines are available free of cost in major government hospitals while free testing facilities are also available.”

He further said that the Dengue Control and Operations Cell was working round the clock and could be reached at 051-9216890, 051-9212601.

Dr Mirza said that he visited all the hospitals of the federal capital on a daily basis and also ensured that fumigation was done in areas from where cases were reported.

Polyclinic’s media coordinator Dr Sharif Astori said that to date as many as 577 patients suffering with dengue had been brought to the hospital and 87 were admitted till late evening.

Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2019