35 FIRs, fine imposed for violating dengue SOPs

Rawalpindi: As many as 35 FIRs had been registered on violations of anti-dengue SOPs from January 1 to date in various areas of the Rawalpindi district, said District Coordinator Epidemics Prevention and Control Dr Sajjad Mehmood here Tuesday.

Giving details of the penalty actions, the health officer said that the district administration, in collaboration with allied departments, had sealed 38 premises, issued tickets to 83 and a fine of Rs132,000 was imposed on violations of dengue SOPs in 2024. Dr Sajjad informed that around four confirmed cases had been reported in the district this year, while the number was two in 2023, and one in 2022 during the period.

The health officer further stated that during indoor vector surveillance, the teams checked 1,045,853 houses and larvae were detected at 1,564 sites while during outdoor surveillance larvae were found at 300 spots while inspecting 269,547 places.

Meanwhile, Commissioner Rawalpindi Engineer Aamir Khattak directed the officials to accelerate field activities for tracing larvae and expedite surveillance in the graveyards, junkyards and under construction sites which were the vulnerable places of dengue spread.

He directed the health department to ensure the availability of required treatment and medicines in the hospitals and display posters and banners in the areas affected by dengue last year.