Dengue emergency declared in Rawalpindi

Rawalpindi:The Office of the Deputy Commissioner Rawalpindi has declared a ‘Dengue Emergency’ in Rawalpindi to invoke the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority rules while directing the district health authority to take immediate action for dengue preventive activities.

The letter issued on Tuesday states that keeping in view the prevailing situation of dengue cases in Rawalpindi district where the disease burden is increasing on daily basis and emergency measures are required to be taken, I, Hassan Waqar Cheema, Deputy Commissioner/Administrator District Health Authority (DHA) Rawalpindi do hereby declare ‘Dengue Emergency’.

The situation regarding the spread of dengue fever is getting more and more alarming as in the last 48 hours, another 281 patients have been confirmed positive from the district while another death due to dengue fever has been confirmed by the DHA that has taken the total number of deaths so far caused by the infection to six from Rawalpindi.

Data provided by the district health authority confirmed that the 26-year old female who was a resident of Dhoke Munshi near Chaklala Scheme 3 died on October 4 at Holy Family Hospital in town. The patient was suffering from Dengue Shock Syndrome. Her death, however, was confirmed due to dengue fever at the DHA portal on Tuesday.

Data reveals that the confirmation of another 281 patients positive for dengue fever in the last two days has taken the total number of patients so far tested positive for dengue fever from Rawalpindi district this year to 2,277 of which 268 patients have been undergoing treatment at the teaching hospitals in Rawalpindi on Wednesday.

The district health authority has started running awareness campaigns in different localities while mobile units, dengue medical camps have already been made operational in the worst-hit areas, in at least seven localities but still the number of patients being reported from the district is registering a continuous increase. Out of a total of 2,277 patients confirmed positive for dengue fever from Rawalpindi this year, well over 1100 have been reported in the last 10 days.