Rawalpindi battles rising dengue threat

Dengue fever continues to spread across the twin cities, with reported cases rising to 45, including 35 in Rawalpindi, as the district administrations and health authorities step up preventive measures. Health officials revealed that millions of dengue larvae have been detected at 200,853 locations across Rawalpindi during the current season. Areas from which dengue cases have emerged have also been declared high-risk hotspots, with authorities directing that immediate spraying be carried out at all houses surrounding the affected areas. Dengue patients have been admitted to allied hospitals in Rawalpindi. The Health Department said the reported figures represented only patients treated at government hospitals, as data on cases reported by private hospitals and clinics was not being collected. "Therefore, the actual number of dengue patients in Rawalpindi cannot be determined. We only share data from government hospitals," officials said. According to the department, 1,400 teams have so far inspected 5.17 million houses during the ongoing dengue season, detecting larvae at 176,144 houses. Teams also inspected 1.79 million open spaces and plots, finding larvae at 24,709 locations. Authorities have registered 2,798 cases of violations involving the presence of dengue larvae and failure to implement prescribed standard operating procedures. A total of 686 units have been sealed, while 2,331 challans were issued and fines amounting to Rs3.156 million imposed. The Health Department has declared the period until November 15 as the peak and most critical phase of the dengue season. According to officials, dengue larvae would gradually die off as rainfall decreased and colder weather intensified thereafter.