RAWALPINDI:As many as 58 people went down with the mosquito-borne disease on Tuesday, taking the tally to 720 in the last one month.

The 58 dengue patientslanded in three government hospitals. Officials said a total of 96 confirmed patients were getting treatment in these hospitals and seven of them were in critical condition.

As many as 19 confirmed patients are admitted to Holy Family Hospital (HFH), 22 to Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH), 27 to District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital and 10 to different private hospitals.

At present, 194 beds are allocated in the hospitals for dengue patients - 70 at HFH, 36 at BBH, 40 at DHQ hospital, six at Wah General Hospital, eight in Kallar Syedan, seven in Gujar Khan, eight in Kahuta, six each in Murree and Taxila and seven in Kotli Sattian hospitals.

However, 120 patients, including 96 confirmed, are admitted to the dengue wards - 46 at HFH, 28 at BBH, 40 at DHQ hospital, four at Wah General Hospital and two at Kallar Syedan.

Most of the denguepatients arrived from Peshawar Road, Golra Mor, Rawat, village Mari, Tarnol, Dhoke Mangtal, Pindora, Mohallah Raja Sultan, Afandi Colony, Muslim Town, Sadiqabad, Muhallah Hukam Dad, Raja Zafarul Haq Road and adjoining areas.

The officials said health department teams were continuing indoor and outdoor operations on a daily basis. On Tuesday, more than 18,234 houses were checked anddengue larvae were found in 1,179 houses. Similarly, more than 6,062 outdoor spots were checked and the denguelarvae found were in 202 spots.

Meanwhile, Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chatha asked the health authority and other departments to conduct fogging and clear roads and streets from stagnant water.

Reviewing the anti-dengue drive, he said, “We have made a plan to increase the capacity of beds in hospitals to 1,000.”

Published in Dawn, September 20th, 2023