RAWALPINDI: Three more dengue patients arrived in government hospitals in the city on Friday, taking the tally of cases in the last two months to 70.
“Total three patients’ reports confirmed suffering from dengue virus on Friday. Only nine patients are admitted in the hospital’s dengue ward,” said Dr Jawad, District Health Officer Preventive.
He said that in the last 24 hours, dengue serology reports of three new patients were received confirming that they were suffering from the mosquito-borne disease.
“We have sped up the anti-dengue campaign in the areas from where patients have arrived.” He said one patient arrived from the city area, the second from Union Council Qazian and the third from Asghar Mall.
District emergency and response committee directs immediate strengthening of field surveillance
“In October so far, 37 cases have been reported while 27 had been reported in September and no case emerged in August,” he said.
Meanwhile, the District Emergency and Response Committee for Dengue Control directed the immediate strengthening of field surveillance.
A meeting of the committee was held at the Deputy Commissioner Complex chaired by Additional Deputy Commissioner (Social Services) Fazail Mudassar. The meeting was attended by the CEO (health), officials from relevant departments and area in-charges.
Participants reviewed the current dengue situation across the district, patient screening, larvae surveillance, field activities, monitoring of hotspots and dengue response reports.
During the briefing, it was stated that as of October 23 evening, 70 cases of dengue had been confirmed in Rawalpindi district, a figure significantly lower than in previous years, while a total of 5,446 suspected cases were identified during patient screening.
Indoor and outdoor surveillance activities remain ongoing across the district to curb the spread of dengue and to ensure the timely detection and elimination of larvae. According to the briefing, more than 5.683 million homes have been checked across the district so far this year, and approximately 1.963 million other locations have been inspected.
Upon the detection of larvae during surveillance, anti-dengue measures were implemented at the respective locations to curb mosquito breeding. The meeting also reviewed the progress of response activities related to dengue larvae, conducted between October 12 and 23.
It was reported that out of a total of 14,247 planned response activities, 14,206 had been completed. Relevant departments were directed to promptly finalise any pending actions and to ensure the timely completion and effective monitoring of all activities.
Furthermore, the meeting reviewed surveillance efforts around identified hotspots, sanitation drives in vulnerable union councils, cleaning of graveyards and open spaces, desilting of drains and public awareness campaigns.
The additional deputy commissioner stressed the need for effective coordination and a unified strategy among all relevant departments. He added that no negligence should be shown in surveillance or field activities, and that all pending response tasks must be completed within the stipulated timeframe.
During the meeting, an appeal was made to citizens to ensure that water will not accumulate in their homes, on rooftops, in flower pots, or any other locations. They were urged to maintain proper cleanliness and to cooperate with the administration by adopting preventive measures against dengue.
Published in Dawn, October 24th, 2026
