By Abid Sindhu
Dengue with its strains of DEN1, DEN2 and DEN 3 is spread through Andes
Mosquitoes. Before 1970 there were only nine countries who had experienced
Dengue Hemorrhagic fever (DHF). This has now escalated to over 120 countries.
After 2011, when the epicenter of this disease was Lahore, the DHF has become
endemic. It is being advised that the domestics require extra vigilance and
aggressive measures. Dengue is necessarily a post monsoon phenomenon where
countering strategy starts at around February of each year. DHA Lahore with
heightened sense of community services started the campaign much earlier than
the present outbreak. Despite taking the number of measures the prevalence of
Dengue is due to three things which are probably supra the efforts, one,
unpredicted rains, secondly the use of unbranded insecticides sprays by domestic
users and the horizontal flight of Andes from peri domestic environment to
domestic abode. This exactly has happened in DHA where the daily routine of
spray of insecticide in the streets and roads has forced the Andes to take
refuge inside.
Dengue is the disease of water (the water poison) with comparatively clean
brooding places. DHA Lahore every year takes lot of measures both in the realm
of active and passive domain. The maintenance and disease control branch starts
spraying all roads, streets, markets, public places and alleys from pre – dengue
period. The clean water deposition is dismantled and residents are not allowed
to have an open cesspool. To generate a sheer sense of awareness the leaflets
were distributed amongst the residents. At every prominent and eye-catching
places, the hoardings are already donned with measures to be adopted to prevent
the Dengue. The awareness campaign amongst the 40,000 residents of DHA also
widened the already established system of addressing the complaints regarding
the general cleanliness of the area and particularly the measures for
elimination of all vector born diseases. DHA administration is whole heartedly
committed to address this issue with the entire wherewithal. Incidentally at
around 1000 to 1200 places the Dengue larvae was found as per DCO Lahore, where
as in DHA the larvae affirmative areas were found to be 9 or 10 places only.
DHA is surrounded by different localities where probably such stringent anti
dengue measures are not taken. The cleanliness and availability of green foliage
in DHA are on one hand the boon for environment friendliness and on the other
becomes bane of vulnerability. The prevention strategy is the hallmark of the
overall campaign against dengue in DHA. It includes advising residents to wear
full sleeves cloths, use of repellents, coils, electric vapor mats, impregnated
bed nets, traps lights, magnetic repellents and curtains etc. Andes is a
domestic mosquitoes and its growth in an area also depends upon the demographics
socio economic and environmental conduciveness.
The prevention and eradication campaign is multifaceted phenomenon in which
every stake holder is to be as aggressive as the one who is facing the brunt.
Remember, there is no back or front end, it is a wholesome affair, emptying the
bucket is required rather than passing the buck. DHA has also formulated a
delineated response mechanism in which the local foci is identified within 28
hours by identification the specific house or peri domestic area and curtailing
the spread through even aggressive measures. To accentuate the same in DHA
Medical Center kits are available to ascertain the presence of the virus on the
first day of fever in a patient.
DHA has not even neglected the area of construction activities going on within
the community. Special squads steer free to identify any such sites where due to
clean water or debris the larvae can grow. DHA is committed to give a better
life to its residents and the preventions from any endemic vector borne disease
is the key stone of the overall strategy. The vector seems to be very strong
this season due to unprecedented rains but our collective resolve to address
this problem will bear the fruit. Dengue in this part of the world is endemic
now, what we need is the collective synergy of people meshed with paraphernalia
of local government, let us make two, to tango.