Islamabad, Sep 18 At least 12 workers and supervisors involved in anti-dengue campaign in Pakistan's Rawalpindi have been dismissed as they were absent from duty but still marked their attendance through fraudulent means, local media reported on Thursday.
The health department said both male and female staff were found sending fake pictures to mark their presence during inspections. Further inquiries are being made into negligence during the anti-dengue campaign, leading Pakistani daily The Express Tribune reported.
As many as 20 new dengue cases have been reported in Rawalpindi in the past 24 hours while anti-dengue efforts are being made across the district. The total number of dengue patients in Rawalpindi stood at 394, with 81 currently undergoing treatment in city hospitals, including 38 confirmed cases. No deaths due to dengue have been reported in this season.
Earlier this month, health officials had warned that dengue cases in Rawalpindi and nearby Murree were rising at a faster pace in comparison to 2024. At the time, 51 cases were reported in Rawalpindi while 56 in Murree, with thousands of larvae-breeding sites were detected during inspections. Authorities had shut hundreds of sites and lodged FIRs against violations of Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).
Furthermore, strict anti-dengue SOPs have been placed in schools in Rawalpindi, with the Education Department banning chemical sprays, making full-sleeve uniforms compulsory and implementing a daily “zero period” focused on dengue prevention.
Pakistan's Federal government has launched the National Anti-Dengue Campaign 2025. Pakistan's Health Minister Mustafa Kamal said that focus must be on prevention and called on people to adopt safe practices to eliminate mosquito breeding.
Dengue is a viral infection that is spread from mosquitoes to people and is more common in tropical and subtropical than in temperate climates, according to World Health Organisation (WHO) statement. Majority of people who get infected with dengue do not have symptoms.
Most common symptoms of dengue are headache, high fever, body aches, nausea and rash, according to WHO statement. Majority of patients get better in 1–2 weeks, however, some develop severe dengue and are admitted to hospital. Dengue can be fatal in severe cases.
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