Extensive fumigation to prevent dengue in unattended areas demanded

ISLAMABAD, Oct 09 (APP):Citizens on Wednesday asked the health officials concerned to expedite extensive fumigation operation in unattended areas of federal capital for prevention from the dengue.

According to them, there should be fumigation plan, under which the sprayer operatives should be advised to outdoor spray all shrubberies and drains within a certain radius where the mosquitoes are likely to rest.

They said that the sprayer operatives should be assigned to spray the targeted areas with the support of local community for effective collaboration to prevent locals from dengue virus.

Abdullah Akram, a citizen said still several affected areas were missing in fogging drive due to negligence of field staff and asked the officials concerned to take serious notice of this.
He added there was no mechanism in place to avoid from the situation as nothing was done practically in past tenures to make any plan for complete elimination of dengue virus from the country.

He said that now there was a need to have research based preventive measures and community involvement to create awareness in the society besides availability of facilities for dengue patients.
Muhammad Zubair, another citizen, asked the administrations of public sector federal capital’s hospitals to ensure implementing health protocols by its doctors, nurses and para medical staff for management and treatment of dengue patients.

He complained that despite clear directions and monitoring of the federal government, the staff deployed at dengue wards of both major hospitals were not observing these protocols causing complications to patients at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) and Federal Government Polyclinic (FGPC).

Mattiullah Khan, a patient at PIMS dengue ward said that he didn’t find observing of set protocols at hospital as the staff is totally unaware of all this.

He added due to such negligence there were high chances of carrying other communicable diseases by patients as there was no culture of anti-mosquito or anti-germs spray to protect patients from carrying new viruses.

Faisal Murad, a patient admitted at Polyclinic dengue ward said that despite displaying hospital protocols at ward, laboratory and other areas, the hospital staff including doctors were least interested to follow this.

He added due to this unprofessional attitude of doctors and nurses, sensitive patients may carry serious infectious diseases. He added there was no trend of changing bed sheets or use of gloves or masks by medical staff at ward.

When contacted an official from the Ministry of National Health Services said that the government had taken concrete measures to control the dengue virus.

He added best medical care was being provided to patients while there was effective disease surveillance system to further control it outbreak particularly in twin cities.

He said that an extensive fumigation drive was running in the federal capital to kill dengue the mosquitoes besides awareness campaign to educate people about the prevention from the dengue virus.

He said that as per protocols, the doctors and deputed staff at hospitals will be responsible for regular lab investigation of dengue patients that included detection of dengue virus protein (NS1) from day first to day fifth and detection of antibody (IgM) from day fifth onward.

Similarly, there will be regular blood CP test to know rising hematocrit, thrombocytopenia and leukopenia besides liver function tests to check greater elevation of the AST as compared to the ALT. He added tests like ECG and Cardiac Enzymes for observing Myocarditis were also necessary.