Dengue cases spike in twin cities despite drop in temperature
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RAWALPINDI: Despite the minimum temperature down to 16 degrees Celsius in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, there is no end to the dengue virus as 22 more residents went down with mosquito-borne disease on Sunday.
The fresh cases took the city’s overall dengue tally from July to October 19 to 1,093. Doctors fear the dengue virus will continue in the city till the end of November.
When contacted, Deputy Commissioner Dr Hassan Waqar Cheema said that the number of patients contracted with mosquito-borne disease was decreasing with the passage of time.
Most dengue patients reported on Sunday to the Holy Family Hospital, Satellite Town, while Benazir Bhutto Hospital, Murree Road and Rawalpindi Teaching Hospital, Raja Bazaar, admitted five and three such cases respectively.
Most of these cases were reported in the city downtown, especially Gawalmandi, Mohanpura, Khayaban-i-Sir Syed and Dhoke Ratta areas located by the Leh Nullah.
“Last year, the hospitals received the patients till December end, and this year also the District Health Authority failed to take measures to eliminate the mosquitoes,” said a senior doctor of Holy Family Hospital.
He stated that the health authority had been directed to continue its efforts to eliminate the dengue virus from the city areas and continue fogging in the affected areas.
He said that the Indoor Residual Spray (IRS) had also been started in the affected areas as the chilly weather forced the mosquitoes to hide inside the house, where the temperature was warm. He said that people should also adopt safety measures and ensure cleanliness in and around their houses to avoid the disease.
Published in Dawn, October 20th, 2025
