Epidemic hazard

Dengue infections continue to rise in Rawalpindi, with 19 new cases recorded in the past 24 hours, according to the District Health Authority.A total of 28 patients are currently under treatment at various hospitals across the city. No dengue-related fatalities have been reported so far, the authorities have confirmed. In 2025, 20,798 individuals were tested for dengue, with 1,561 confirmed casesHealth teams have inspected more than 6.19 million homes this year, discovering mosquito larvae in 209,936 of them. In addition, 1.78 million public and private sites were checked, with larvae detected at 27,858 locations.Authorities said that 228,794 larvae have been destroyed so far this season.To curb the spread of the virus, 4,736 FIRs have been registered for violations of dengue prevention SOPs, 1,909 premises sealed, and 3,664 challans issued. Fines totalling Rs11.34 million have been imposed on violators, the District Health Authority added.Doctors warn that the official figures may partially represent the situation, as cases handled in private medical facilities are rarely integrated into government data. They said the hospital dengue counters should be staffed adequately, testing kept affordable and fumigation campaigns intensified to prevent the ailment from spreading.The Rawalpindi Health Department has been accused of negligence, which is fueling the continued rise in dengue cases.Even areas previously designated as "cleared" hotspots have been found to contain significant amounts of dengue larvae in independent third-party surveys.Following the department's failure to manage the dengue larvae issue, responsibility has been entirely shifted to female dengue workers, resulting in the dismissal of several of them.After the termination of 132 workers, notices have been issued for the dismissal of a further seven women and three men, with additional terminations anticipated. However, neither the District Health Authority (DHA) nor the District Health Office has held any senior officials accountable for this failure. Instead, the focus has been on dismissing lower-level field staff, issuing show-cause notices, suspensions, and imposing salary deductions.Despite the height of the dengue season, the Health Department has failed to provide essential resources, such as free government-issued mobile phones, SIM cards, and internet access, to sanitation workers, despite millions of rupees being allocated for this purpose.This lack of provision has severely hampered the workers' ability to carry out online dengue surveillance and reporting. A dengue emergency has now been declared in both public and private hospitals.