ISLAMABAD: One person died of dengue fever whereas 271 new cases surfaced in the capital during the last two days.

District Health Officer Dr Zaeem Zia said the patient was a resident of Christian Colony in G-8, and was under treatment in a private hospital.

With the latest casualty, the death toll from dengue fever in Islamabad has risen to 11 out of which seven deaths were reported from the rural areas and four from urban localities.

During the last 24 hours, 125 cases - 58 from rural and 67 from urban areas - were reported in the capital while 146 cases - 48 from rural and 98 from urban areas - were reported on Sunday.

As many as 45 patients were admitted to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) followed by 24 at Holy Family Hospital (HFH), seven were under treatment in Federal General Hospital, six in Capital Hospital, five each were in Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH) and District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital and three were admitted to Polyclinic. The remaining 176 patients were being treated in private hospitals.

He further said 36 cases were reported from Tarlai, 30 from Koral, 14 from Tarnol, seven from Alipur, six from Sohan, five from Bhara Kahu, three from Sihala, two each from Rawat and Chirrah and one from Jhangi Syedan.

During the last two days, indoor residual spray was carried out in 436 houses and 199 fogging activities were conducted in the capital, Mr Zia said, adding that separate teams of the District Health Office (DHO) also found 1,009 potential breeding sites of larvae and eliminated them.

APP ADDS: As many as 114 more dengue patients have been brought to allied hospitals of Rawalpindi during the last 48 hours.

This year, around 2,146 dengue cases were brought to three public-sector hospitals of the city, who were provided with the required treatment and 2,039 patients were discharged after recovering, District Coordinator Epidemics Prevention and Control (DCEPC) Dr Sajjad Mehmood said.

Meanwhile, keeping in view the seasonal trends of dengue fever, the Field Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance Division (FEDSD) of the National Institute of Health (NIH) has issued an advisory on prevention and control of the disease.

According to NIH, the objective of the advisory was to sensitise human and animal health care authorities to further strengthen and improve the level of preparedness in prevention and control of the disease. As per the advisory, dengue is a viral disease transmitted by mosquitoes of the genus Aedes (Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus). It is endemic in almost all geographical regions of Pakistan and there is substantial evidence that its multiple serotypes are circulating in different areas of the country.

Despite patchy surveillance, a total of 53,498 cases with 95 deaths due to dengue fever were reported during 2019 while 6,016 cases were reported during 2020 and 3,795 cases were reported up until September 2021.

This advisory is therefore intended to facilitate healthcare authorities and professionals in effectively dealing with the potential challenge during dengue season, the advisory stated, adding that hospitals should build capacity for management of patients in order to keep rapid response arrangements in place and to maintain regular liaison with relevant departments and stakeholders.

Rawalpindi

As many as 114 more dengue patients have been brought to allied hospitals of the city during the last 48 hours.

This year, around 2,146 dengue cases were brought to three public-sector hospitals of the city, who were provided with the required treatment and 2,039 patients were discharged after recovering, District Coordinator Epidemics Prevention and Control (DCEPC) Dr Sajjad Mehmood said.

Attock

As many as 95 more people were diagnosed with dengue fever on Monday.

Confirming the rise in the number of dengue cases in the district, the District Health Authority Chief Executive Dr Mohsin Ashraf said the number of dengue patients in the district was 52, 34 in Hassanabdal, four in Fatehjang, three in Pindigheb and two in Hazro.

Moreover, an official for the Punjab Primary and Secondary Healthcare department indicated that the authorities had put all suspected cases under surveillance and were conducting their medical tests and treatment. He said all departments joined hands to accelerate the ongoing anti-dengue campaign and utilise available resources. Responding to a question, he said on instructions of higher authorities, the health department is conducting operations in the district to eradicate dengue larvae and stop spread of the disease.

On the other hand, Deputy Commissioner Dr Imran Hamid Sheikh along with officials of the health and municipal administration visited hot spot areas to monitor anti-dengue activities. He visited junkyards, tyre sale and repair shops and monitored dengue larvae detection activities.

During visits to various commercial areas of the city, he appealed to citizens to keep their surroundings clean and dry to contain the growth of dengue larvae. He requested citizens to register complaints on 1033 if dengue surveillance teams failed to reach their location, adding, October is very important regarding control of dengue as most cases were reported during this period so teams must focus on activities to ensure elimination of dengue larvae.

Later, Mr Sheikh also visited District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital, Attock and checked facilities and medicines provided to patients in the dengue ward. He interacted with patients and their attendants to inquire about the quality of treatment provided to them.

Earlier, Mr Sheikh while presiding over a meeting of the Emergency Response Committee in connection with the anti-dengue campaign directed officials concerned to inspect all dengue hotspot areas and ensure elimination of dengue larvae. Indoor surveillance should be doubled and citizens should keep water tanks and underground tankers completely covered in their homes, he said, adding that the situation needs great care and eradication of dengue larvae must be ensured.

Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2021