As many as 28 more dengue cases were reported in Rawalpindi during the last 24 hours, raising the tally of confirmed cases to 801 in the district.
District Coordinator Epidemic Prevention and Control (DCEPC) Dr Sajjad Mehmood said on Thursday that 18 of the new cases came from Potohar Town Urban, four from Municipal Corporation Rawalpindi and two each from Rawalpindi Cantonment and Potohar Rural.
He said that 128 patients were admitted to district hospitals of which 93 were confirmed cases while 708 were discharged after treatment. Dr Sajjad informed that the district administration had registered 36 FIRs, issued tickets to eight, sealed five premises, and a fine of Rs 91,000 was imposed against the violations of dengue SOPs during the last 24 hours.
During indoor surveillance, in the last week, the teams checked 25,437 houses and larvae were found in 1,530 homes. Similarly, he added that while checking 9,808 places, the teams found larvae at 248 sites during outdoor surveillance.
In an effort to combat the spread of dengue fever in rural Islamabad, the Assistant Commissioner Rural, on the directions of the Deputy Commissioner Irfan Nawaz Memon, visited various areas of the Rural Sub-Division.
Assistant Commissioner Rural conducted inspections of garbage bins, tyre shops, service stations, and construction sites, ICT Spokesman said on Thursday.
Accompanied by dengue monitoring teams, the Assistant Commissioner Rural identified and issued warnings to several violators of dengue prevention guidelines. In two cases, however, the violations were so egregious that the Assistant Commissioner ordered the arrest of the perpetrators, who were subsequently transferred to the police station.
The heightened surveillance and enforcement measures in rural Islamabad reflect the growing concern among health officials about the potential for a dengue outbreak in this region. Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection that can cause a range of symptoms, including fever, headache, muscle aches, and rash. In severe cases, dengue can lead to hospitalization and even death.
While dengue is most commonly associated with urban areas, there is increasing evidence of its presence in rural areas as well. This is due in part to factors such as climate change, which is expanding the range of mosquitoes capable of transmitting dengue.
The public is urged to cooperate with dengue preventio efforts by taking steps such as eliminating standing water around their homes and businesses, using mosquito repellent, and wearing protective clothing.
