HARIPUR, Aug 25: To prevent a recurrence of dengue fever and malaria epidemic, the local health authorities have launched in secticidal spray in the vulnerable parts of the district, an official said.

The mosquito, Aedes Aegypti, carrying dengue virus had struck many localities of the district, leaving at least eight people dead and scores of others hospitalized last year.

The health authorities had surveyed the affected areas and identified over 71,270 rooms in different localities as dengue and malaria positive in the district. The EDO office recommended and sought funds and insecticides for conducting spray in the affected villages and localities.

However, the provincial health authorities have released Rs150,000 for the purpose. The district-based health authorities has released five drums of insecticides to TMA Haripur for spray and assigned its staff the duty of conducting spray in 30 union councils, an official said.

About the preventive measures of dengue disease Dr Siddiq-ur- Rehman the EDO health Haripur, said that there were four varieties of this disease, which were called as DEN-1, DEN2, DEN- 3 and DEN4 and this virus was transmitted to human body by the sting of an infected mosquito.

He said that there are two varieties of disease one is simple dengue fever which has benign and self-limiting course and the other is dengue haemorrhagic fever, which is more severe and can be proved fatal if remained unidentified and not properly treated.

Dr Rehman said that acute onset of high-fever, severe headache, retro-orbital pain, nausea and vomiting and often amaculo-popular rash were the symptoms of this disease.

He said that since there was no vaccine for the disease the best prevention was to eliminate the places where the mosquitoes lay eggs such as stagnant water or containers such as old tyres, pot etc. He said that the people should use screens in houses, bed nets and personal protection from mosquito sting.