Pakistan, Rawalpindi – The mosquito-borne disease still keeps on knocking at the doors of Rawalpindi with its raised cases of 57 more patients being reported on Saturday, raising the count up to 600 for the season going on.
So far, the increasing cases have borne a heavy blow on the three government hospitals working in the city, where Holy Family Hospital, Benazir Bhutto Hospital, and District Headquarters Hospital are catering to the bulk of the affected population.
Among the newly diagnosed, 29 patients have been surfaced from the localities of Kalyal, Khana Dak, Gangal, Dhoke Munshee, Rehmatabad, Kotha Kalan, Morgah, Dhama Syedan, Chak Jalaldin, and Girja. Other areas include New Parrian, Satellite Town, Saidpur Scheme, Ratta Amral, Qayyumabad, Dhoke Kashmirian, Dhoke Hukam Dad, Mangtal, Pirwadhai, and Bangish Colony who have reported 14 more cases. Moreover, clusters of cases have emerged from Peshawar Road, Gujar Khan, Gulistan Colony, Lal Kurti, Takhat Pari, Kallar Syedan, and Kahuta.
Government Crackdown and Response
As per the District Health Authority, as many as 2,826 First Information Reports and 2,226 challans have been issued so far in connection with the violation of dengue SOPs in the city till date 2024. So far, inspection of 808 buildings has fetched Rs10.44 million in fines. It is part of a full-fledged government effort for more strict adherence of regulations pertaining to dengue in the entire city.
Dengue Eradication Measures by Wasa
Special Secretary for Housing and Urban Development, Tayyab Farid has appealed to the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) to play their role very seriously in the anti-dengue drive. When in the office of Wasa today, he strongly held the point that stagnation of water should be prevented which is also the very key to prevent mosquito breeding. Wasa was ordered to clean tubewells and filtration plants regularly and all related installations. All the operations of Wasa would now be conducted in respect of the district administration and will follow the health department’s guidelines.
Tayyab Farid said Punjab government is seriously determined to combat dengue fever and said that negligence in the preventive measures is never acceptable.
Regular Checking of Vulnerable Areas
Wasa MD Saleem Ashraf said 523 dengue hotspots have been identified and eight special teams are monitoring them on a daily basis, and their activities are uploaded onto the central dashboard for transparency and accountability. The utility has also resolved more than 200 complaints this season and deployed special de-watering sets and sucking machines in high-risk areas.
It has also tried to awaken the public by putting hoarding boards on water tankers and machines and printing the anti-dengue message on utility bills.
Tayyab Farid also visited the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA), where Director General Kinza Murtaza briefed him about the plans of the civic agency for support of the anti-dengue campaign.
