Dengue fever spell close to its seasonal end

Spike to continue in future, practices needed to minimise effects

Islamabad

The dengue fever outbreak that is close to its seasonal end has been comparatively stronger as compared to previous years but controlled at the moment and the sharp rise in cases in the current year with very low mortality rate is the fact that is showing typical dengue fever pattern that fluctuates from year to year.

The dengue fever was originally not a disease of this part of the region but it is now endemic in Pakistan and according to local and international experts, it would continue to occur for some more years to come, however, there would be fluctuations in terms of severity. What we have to do is to adopt practices to minimise its effects by community mobilisation, vector control strategies, hospital based surveillance and best clinical case management.

Additional District Health Officer at ICT Health Department Dr. Muhammad Najeeb Durrani expressed this while talking to ‘The News’ on current trend of decline in number of cases of dengue fever and the pattern of the infection as has been recorded in the region.

He said the recent findings in the hospital based surveillance provide us information about an obvious drop observed in the turnout of patients being reported in Islamabad hospitals in the month of November. This fact is enabling the epidemiologists to conclude that the current spell of dengue fever would further decrease in terms of morbidity in next three to four days, he said.

He added the current trend of decline is due to the cold spell that has started in this part of the country in November unlike Lahore and Karachi where the disease is still affecting scores of people at almost the same pace as was witnessed in the month of October due to just comparatively slight drop in temperature that the mosquito can resist.

The mosquitoes’ activity gets restricted outside in the current weather conditions and they are not able to bite because of weak energy in joints not letting them to make a firm grip and mount on the body of a person before sucking blood, said Dr. Durrani.

He added therefore, the mosquitoes would be at this point in time trying to reach comparatively warmer places that are available inside the homes or in other words in the bedrooms and kitchen where they can rest in corners behind the curtains or furniture to rest and bite as well.

He said this is high time for insecticide residual spray to be carried out inside homes and to make last efforts with full force in identifying active breeding sites and destroying them and concentrating on solid waste disposal so that the adult female mosquitoes may be killed and not able to lay eggs to hatch in the next summer season.

He said few things are to be noted for the future control of the disease. The migration of the virus from the endemic areas put local people at the ever increasing risk of contracting the deadly disease. The vector control, solid waste disposal and public awareness are the three important steps for dengue prevention, control and mitigation, said Dr. Durrani.