Rawalpindi and Islamabad could face a dengue outbreak in the coming days as District Health Authority Rawalpindi teams continue to find large numbers of dengue mosquito larvae during indoor and outdoor surveillance.
Data collected by The News on Sunday showed that 141 of the district’s 189 union councils had a Breteau Index above three. The index indicates that surveillance teams found Aedes aegypti larvae in more than 3% of the houses they inspected in these areas.
Of the 141 union councils, 79 recorded a Breteau Index between three and seven, while 34 recorded an index between seven and 10. Health teams recorded an index above 10 in 28 union councils, meaning they found dengue mosquito larvae in more than 10% of the houses they inspected.
The situation has worsened significantly over the past two months. At that time, officials recorded a Breteau Index between three and seven in 56 union councils, between seven and 10 in four union councils, and above 10 in three union councils.
Rawalpindi currently has 48 union councils with a Breteau Index below three, compared with 134 on June 19. The District Health Authority reported that surveillance teams have found Aedes mosquito larvae in 74,392 houses and 13,016 other sites across the district.
Authorities have confirmed dengue in six people from Rawalpindi so far. However, health experts warn that the rising mosquito population could increase the risk of an outbreak, particularly during the rainy season.
Via: The News
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