Dengue resurfaces in Peshawar

PESHAWAR: After taking more than 70 lives and leaving thousands of people hospitalised last year, dengue virus is again reported to have surfaced in the provincial capital.

According to officials of the provincial Health Department, the virus was reported in Achini village on the outskirts of the provincial capital. Zarwali, 58, was diagnosed with dengue at the Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH) Peshawar. The officials said that special teams were sent to the Achini Union Council to conduct fumigation and take blood test of the neighbours of the patient.

They found that 10 more villagers had dengue larva in their blood. The government has so far reported 22 dengue positive cases in the province in which 16 were stated to have contracted the virus in other province. Dengue virus was first reported in Tehkal locality in the Peshawar city in July last year and it spread to the adjacent Pishtakhara village and became an epidemic.

The previous Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led government didn’t expect outbreak of dengue and it turned into an epidemic when the government mishandled the situation and it took more than 70 lives.

Most of the patients hailing from Tehkal and Pishtakhara were taken to the Khyber Teaching Hospital. The hospital was overburdened due to heavy rush of dengue patients and was not in a position to cater to the needs of the patients.

Meanwhile, caretaker Chief Minister Justice (Retd) Dost Muhammad Khan put the Health Department on red alert and directed the Health and Local Government departments to take drastic measures for controlling the dengue larva throughout the province.

According to an official handout, on the reports of re-emergence of dengue larva that affected four persons in Achini Bala, the chief minister directed to establish a central control room to monitor the dengue situation and take measures to control the virus.

Dost Muhammad Khan directed the Local Government Department to establish a monitoring mechanism to direct and monitor the working of district, tehsil & union council level for preventive & responsive measures for dengue, especially social mobilization.

It was decided that the Local Government Department & district administrations concerned would ask the WSSP, other sanitation organizations & apparatuses towards ensuring cleanliness, continuous water supply and not allowing stagnant water standing.

The chief minister said the Peshawar Development Authority, especially and all others generally should take measures in this regard.

He said the Health Department including Medical and Teaching Institutions should ensure isolation wards, necessary diagnostics and treatment facilities throughout KP especially in dengue-prone districts, he directed.