RAWALPINDI: Commissioner retired Capt Mohammad Mehmood on Saturday directed health authorities to expedite efforts to eliminate dengue larvae after a dengue patient was admitted to Holy Family Hospital.

Mr Mehmood also urged people to keep their homes clean as health authority staff are facing difficulty visiting various areas, particularly to conduct indoor surveillance, due to the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown.

He said the dengue prevention campaign has been launched in the city and health authority teams have found dengue larvae in 572 houses and 59 commercial sites. They have visited 144,000 houses and 515,752 commercial sites.

A senior district health authority official told Dawn that the authority halted the dengue prevention campaign due to the spread of the coronavirus in the district.

Health authority official says coronavirus pandemic led to halt in earlier prevention work, aggressive campaign needed but not possible in current situation

He said the recruitment of sanitation patrol staff was not completed last month for this reason.

“At present, more than 350 sanitary patrol [staff] are working while the government is allowed to hire 1,000 more,” he said.

The official said female staff are also facing difficulty carrying out door-to-door dengue surveillance visits because of the lockdown. Many local residents are not willing to let staff enter their homes due to the pandemic.

He added that the health authority has data on areas where the dengue virus spread last year.

He said that the spread of the dengue virus last year was due to the absence of a prevention campaign in April, as dengue larvae should be eradicated by then or mosquitoes will continue to breed and the dengue virus will spread.

He added that heavy rainfall in March and April has provided an environment for mosquitoes to breed in the city, and an aggressive campaign is needed but is not possible in the current situation.

Deputy Commissioner retired Capt Anwarul Haq admitted the dengue prevention campaign was launched late, but said an aggressive campaign has begun in the district to eliminate dengue larvae.

He also reviewed the campaign in his office on Saturday and asked the district administration to raise awareness among the public to urge them to take precautions.

“Although it is not possible to hold seminars and workshops, it is the duty of the Auqaf department to make announcements in mosques and imambargahs about safety measures,” he said.

People should clean their rooftops and remove any stagnant water from their roofs, water coolers and other places to prevent mosquitoes from breeding.

“Residents should make a list of their water tanks, water coolers and others so health authority teams can note down the prepared list,” he said.

He added that health teams should visit graveyards, junkyards and tyre shops, and the owners of restaurants, hotels and other commercial sites that are closed should nevertheless clean these establishments regularly.

Published in Dawn, April 26th, 2020