Peshawar, October 26 (IANS). The rulers of Pakistan are so engrossed in disputes with their neighbors that they are not even taking care of the fact that the country’s health system has almost collapsed. At present the common Pakistani is facing the havoc of dengue. The situation remains worrying and health officials are reporting rising infections in many provinces. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), the health department has confirmed 74 new dengue cases in the last 24 hours, taking the total cases in the province to 3,939.
According to local media, 23 of these patients were admitted to different hospitals on Saturday, while 33 are still undergoing treatment. So far this season, two people have died from it.
The worst-affected provinces include Charsadda (1,051 cases), Peshawar (386), Mardan (343), Haripur (329), and Mansehra (299), Hum News reported. Health officials are advising residents to take appropriate precautions and seek medical attention at the first signs of fever.
Dengue cases are increasing in other parts of the country also. In Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), 31 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours, of which 16 were from rural areas and 15 from urban areas. Field teams have inspected 41,709 sites as part of the ongoing fumigation and preventive measures. Residents are being urged to remove standing water and maintain cleanliness in homes to prevent mosquito breeding.
Dengue cases are also increasing in Punjab. Rawalpindi recorded 14 new cases in the last 24 hours, taking the total cases in the city to 1,177. More than 50 patients are currently being treated, and more than 18,000 people have been screened since the start of the season. Across the province, 53 new cases were confirmed, including 18 in Lahore, 13 in Rawalpindi, 7 in Multan, and 5 in Faisalabad, bringing the total cases in Punjab to 2,615, with 492 cases in Lahore alone.
More than 5.9 million buildings have been examined in Punjab and dengue larvae have been recovered from 1,89,176 houses. 4,630 cases have been registered and 1,882 premises have been sealed due to anti-dengue SOP violations.
In Sindh, officials have been directed to implement fumigation plan at the Union Council level, scientifically remove mosquito larvae, run campaigns to make people aware and take immediate action on people’s complaints through the helpline of the health department.
However, people are not particularly enthused by the style of the rulers. Recently a petition was also filed in the Peshawar High Court (PHC) on the increasing cases of dengue. In this, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Secretary, Health Director General and Peshawar Commissioner were made defendants. The petitioner had sought the court’s intervention, citing the increasing public health threat posed by breeding of mosquitoes due to poor sanitation and accumulation of garbage in urban areas.
–IANS
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