RAWALPINDI/ISLAMABAD: As many as 74 more dengue patients were reported in three government-run hospitals on Thursday including 57 who belong to Rawalpindi district.

In the capital, on the other hand, 92 people were diagnosed with the disease during the last two days.

As many as 132 confirmed dengue patients have been admitted in three government-run hospitals of Rawalpindi, including 52 in Holy Family Hospital (HFH), 40 patients in Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH) and 40 in District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital.

As many as 102 patients were from Rawalpindi district, 22 from Islamabad, four from Harripur, two from Poonch and one each from Kotli and Sudhanoti, respectively.

Most patients from the district arrived from Potohar Town and cantonment areas while the District Health Authority claimed that the number of dengue patients reduced in Kahuta and Chak Jalaldin, which were hit by dengue virus during the last two months.

A senior official of the health authority said that most dengue larvae were detected in Pirwadhai, Fauji Colony, Shah Chan Chirag, Amarpura, Chaman Zar, Katarian, Kalyal and adjoining areas of cantonment board.

He said due to joint efforts of the district administration, health department and all other departments, the number of patients coming from Union Council Chak Jalaldin and Tehsil Kahuta had decreased.

District Health Authority Chief Executive Officer Dr Anser Ishaq directed the health department to continue its efforts to eliminate the dengue larvae and ensure that SOPs were being followed.

Meanwhile, District Health Officer (DHO) Islamabad Dr Zaeem Zia, while talking to Dawn, said that dengue had become inevitable after rains in the twin cities as a large number of ponds were formed which become breeding grounds for the mosquitoes.

According to documents, 46 cases were reported from private labs, 13 patients were reported by the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims), 13 by Holy Family Hospital, but they were residents of the federal capital.

As many as 10 cases were reported by Federal General Hospital and seven cases by Benazir Bhutto Hospital.

In 2019, the dengue outbreak had set an all time record as it surpassed the figure of 50,000 cases of mosquito-borne diseases and around 100 persons lost their lives across the country. — Additional reporting by Ikram Junaidi

Published in Dawn, September 9th, 2022