Dengue fever outbreak sets new record

Rawalpindi
The number of confirmed patients of dengue fever so far registered at the three teaching hospitals in town this year has almost set a new record as it is about to cross the total number of patients of the infection reported in previous four years, from 2011 to 2014.
The occurrence of such an intense dengue fever outbreak this year hints towards poor planning of the concerned government authorities on safeguarding public from the infection that caused huge damage to public health along with national exchequer within last five years.
The population in the district faced four sever dengue fever outbreaks in last five years though the recent outbreak has proved itself to be the most intense in nature.
Data collected by ‘The News’ reveals that from 2011 to 2014, a total of nearly 3,300 patients were tested positive for dengue fever at the allied hospitals in town while to date, this year the number of patients confirmed positive for the infection has already crossed the figure of 3,200 and the allied hospitals are still receiving 70 to 100 confirmed dengue fever cases daily on average.
According to details, slightly over 800 patients were tested positive for dengue fever at the allied hospitals in 2011 while in 2012, the district enjoyed dengue free status and the concerned departments succeeded in avoiding dengue fever outbreak. In 2013, over 1150 confirmed patients of the infection were reported at the allied hospitals and in 2014; the total number of patients was around 1,350.
The concerned authorities in the Punjab government claimed to have adopted modern strategies to avoid dengue fever outbreak in the past three years yet they failed in averting dengue fever outbreaks.
On the directives of the Punjab government, almost all departments serving at district level were assigned roles and responsibilities in last two years to prevent a possible outbreak of dengue fever and to avoid breeding of mosquitoes’ larvae including larvae of ‘aedes aegypti’, the vector that causes dengue fever but practically it did not yield the desired results.
According to a number of health experts, however, much has been done on documents only as no stage was set ideally ever to avoid breeding of larvae of ‘aedes aegypti’ practically. One can easily witness countless heaps of garbage and water accumulations existing in almost all localities of the district that may turn out to be potential breeding sites for breeding of mosquitoes’ larvae giving much room for a possible outbreak next year.
The population in Rawalpindi district faced severe outbreaks of dengue fever in 2011 and 2013 during which majority of cases were reported from city areas particularly in Rawal Town and the area still have countless points that may serve as breeding sites for larvae of ‘aedes aegypti’.
In 2014 and 2015, the outbreak hit population equally in city and cantonment board areas but still one can witness heaps of garbage and unnecessary accumulation of water on countless points and much is needed to be done to eradicate mechanically the possible breeding sites of mosquitoes.