KARACHI, Oct 8: A significant number of confirmed dengue virus cases have been reported in the city during the last six weeks or so, but an effective house-to-house spray of insecticides in affected areas is yet to be witnessed, according to health officials.

According to a report on some latest entomological investigation, which was conducted by a federal government health agency as part of adult mosquito control efforts, there is a need to focus on houses where dengue fever cases have been found in addition to undertaking indoor residual spraying in schools, public places, hospitals and offices.

The report recommends that 10 to 12 neighbouring houses should be sprayed with residual insecticides in case of a confirmed dengue case and the exercise involving district governments should be completed as soon as possible.

Five deaths in six weeks

The data compiled by the Sindh health department’s dengue monitoring cell confirms that dengue fever has claimed five lives in Karachi during a period of six weeks and 637 patients with complaint of viral haemorrhagic fever reported to city hospitals till Oct 5, out of which 313 cases have been found positive.

The rate of patients found dengue positive is on the higher side when compared to the figures of the previous years. The percentage of dengue positive cases, which normally remained below 30 per cent internationally, had crossed 49 on Monday, claimed an expert, adding that the city district government and other civic agencies needed to move fast for a house-to-house spray of insecticides on the recommendation of the federal government health agency.

Latest arrivals

On Monday, 30 more patients suspected with dengue fever were brought to six hospitals in the city while five of the admitted patients were discharged. Fifty-six patients had been admitted in the hospitals till Monday afternoon, according to the data provided by the dengue monitoring cell.

Affected family’s account

Iftikhar Ali, the brother of a dengue victim, complained that no government official had ever visited his home since the death of his brother Imran Ali at Liaquat National Hospital on Sept 29.

He said no one from the Sindh government or the CDGK health department had visited his house, located in Azimpura, for an in-house spray or any other purpose.

“My brother was a strong young man of 22 years,” he recalled and said a number of others, not so young and strong, might also be affected by dengue fever that could be attributed to insanitation, inadequate mosquito control efforts, presence of cattle pans, open drains and sewage outflows.

An uphill task

A source in the city government said the house-to-house fumigation was also stressed at a recent meeting of the city government, but it were the health officers who did not subscribe to the idea saying that it would be an extremely difficult assignment, if not impossible.

Health officers say when the routine fumigation remains under sharp criticism it must not be expected that fumigation teams will visit every house and street for insecticides. Wherever dengue virus has re-emerged and dengue positive cases are on the rise, public health concerns in the government, community and households should ensure cleanliness and do away with the vector breeding grounds, they add.

Landhi Town Health Officer Dr S.M. Khalid said dengue cases were reported in his jurisdiction as well.

Claiming that after detection of any positive case, the affected house and the surroundings ones were being sprayed, he said a few of the union councils have arranged the shoulder-mounted pumps for a house-to-house fumigation in the affected area.

District Officer Dr Shaukat Zaman said the municipal public health department had already completed a house-to-house residual spray in the peripheral areas of Bin Qasim, Keamari and Gadap towns as a precautionary step after the monsoon rains.

“In addition, we send our teams for spray to the affected houses from where the dengue cases are reported,” he added.

He said his department would surely gear up the fumigation activities to overcome the vector-born tropical viral disease since the cases of dengue fever had increased.