Dengue fever vector found in two UCs

Rawalpindi: The teams of district health department working in the field for vector surveillance to avoid dengue fever outbreak in the district have found adult mosquitoes ‘aedes aegypti’, the vector that causes dengue fever in the environment in as many as two union councils of town.

The teams carrying out larvae detection and elimination campaign in the field found adult ‘aedes aegypti’ in Union Council 16, Mohallah Eidgah and Union Council 42, Millat Colony however, no confirmed case of dengue fever has so far been reported from anywhere in town, said Deputy District Health Officer Rawal Town Dr. Aamir Sheikh while talking to ‘The News’ on Saturday.

He added the district health department has already started activities for both vector and patient surveillance in town. The hospitals in town have started receiving suspected patients of dengue fever but to date, no patient has been tested positive for the infection, he said.

He said the teams of health department have also been finding larvae of dengue fever vector in the environment and performing insecticidal residual spray to eliminate them. To a query, he said a total of 150 teams comprising female workers and 100 teams consisting of male members are carrying out field activities for larvae detection and elimination in Rawal Town.

The female workers carry out indoor surveillance through door-to-door visits while male members are carrying out outdoor vector surveillance, he said. It is important that Rawal Town is considered as high-risk area on the subject of transmission of dengue fever because well over 60 per cent of all confirmed patients of dengue fever reported from town during dengue fever outbreaks in last five years were residents of Rawal Town.

Dr. Aamir said a total of 500 teams are working in the field in Rawal Town, Potohar Town and in cantonment board areas for vector surveillance.