Uncontrollable dengue continues to test mettle of Peshawar health officials

PESHAWAR: Rise in the number of dengue cases in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has added to the miseries of the provincial health department and caused widespread anger among people belonging to different parts of the provincial metropolis.

Though the KP Health Department officials earlier believed that more than 90 per cent dengue cases were being reported in Peshawar, but official data confirmed the spread of dengue virus in 12 other districts of KP as well. So far, the department has confirmed 45 deaths from the mosquito-borne viral disease throughout the province, while around 400 patients were under treatment in different hospitals.

According to the official report, around 60,000 suspected dengue cases were reported in 13 districts of KP. The report said that 12,632 patients tested positive for dengue virus from among 60,665 patients screened from a total of 60,807 reported cases. The report showed that 11,685 dengue infected persons belonged to Peshawar, whereas, the rest were from other districts, including Nowshehra, Buner, Malakand, Shangla, and Hangu among others.

It is pertinent to mention here that a vast majority of dengue patients were concentrated in Tehkal and Pishtakhara areas of the provincial metropolis. Likewise, majority of casualties also happened in these two localities. Leaders and office bearers of different political parties from Khalil-Mohmand areas have constituted a jirga, which arranged protests and demanded compensation for the heirs of the deceased persons.

Besides the efforts made by the KP Health Department, the Punjab government had also deputed a mobile health team in the province for screening and treatment of dengue patients. The mentioned team remained in Peshawar for one month and had screened thousands of patients for the deadly virus.

When contacted, KP Health Department Focal Person Dr Shaheen said that the change in weather had allowed the authorities concerned to bring the deadly disease under control in other districts. Since Peshawar was in the middle of dengue epidemic this year, health department officials had been putting in consistent efforts to get a hold on the disease here as well, she added.

Dr Shaheen said that officials from all other departments and civil administration were extending wholehearted support to curb the dengue virus. However, she said that unless awareness was created among the general public regarding dengue, it would prove hard to effectively counter the spread of the virus in the future.