Special dengue-prevention measures in flood-hit areas urged

News Desk

ISLAMABAD: A health expert on Monday appealed to the government, non-governmental organizations, and philanthropists to donate mosquito nets and take appropriate steps for prevention of dengue cases as the number of infections after floods is rising daily and people are spending their nights without adequate shelter.

Specialist of Infection diseases, Dr Saeed Khan talking to a private news channel said that people in the flooded areas of Sindh, Balochistan, southern Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa were likely to get diarrhea, cholera, gastroenteritis, typhoid and vector-borne diseases like dengue.   People were in dire need of preventive measures to protect themselves and their families from rising cases of Dengue, he added.

He stressed that a full-scale fumigation drive was the need of the hour in different district localities, mainly where dengue larvae had been found.

Dr Saeed Khan feared that the prevailing monsoon weather was suitable for breeding dengue larvae and asked the authorities concerned to remove stagnant water in outdoor and household settings to stop mosquitoes from breeding after flood.

He also advised people living in those areas to adopt preventive measures and inform the department immediately if dengue larvae were found in their area as the government alone cannot check the spread of dengue larvae.

Replying to a question, he said that mosquito nets and sprays would protect families from dengue, malaria and other waterborne diseases.

During periods of flooding, mosquito numbers could rapidly increase and cause nuisance, he said, adding, the population of the mosquitoes, that were now causing concern for many citizens, had increased because these types lay their eggs in the soil during the dry period and once it rains, these eggs hatch.