ISLAMABAD - A total of 21,292 confirmed cases of dengue, including 352 which proved fatal, were reported in Punjab last year, said an official in dengue epidemic control programme.
Talking to APP here Friday, an official said that in view of the situation with regard to dengue fever, the provincial authorities took numerous measures, including setting-up of task force, while a provincial steering committee was also constituted.
Currently, the district implementation committees, headed by district coordination officers (DCOs) are also operational in the province, he said. The other step was setting up of Dengue Research and Development (R&D) Cell to carry out applied and operations research. Emphasis is placed on utilizing latest technology to combat dengue.
A system has been developed and put in place for online dengue case surveillance, while global positioning system (GPS) mapping of cases, vector and digital monitoring of dengue prevention and control activities are being carried out.
According to Dengue Epidemic and Control Programme data, during the last year, a total of 386 confirmed cases with 7 deaths were reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including Peshawar, Abbotabad, Mansehra, Haripur, Mardan, Swat and Nowshera. A hefty amount was released for purchase of larvicides, insecticides, spray machines, foggers, and social mobilization activities, he said. According to the data in Sindh, a total of 1,547 suspected cases were reported of which 1,326 were from Karachi and 221 were from the rest of Sindh. Eighteen of these cases were fatal.
To address future dengue outbreak, a scheme at a cost of Rs 265.7 million has been approved.