Expert Asks Citizens To Take Precautionary Measures Against Spread Of Dengue

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th Oct, 2021 ) :Health expert on Wednesday appealed public to intensify mosquito prevention and control measures at home and in the community to protect themselves from being bitten by mosquitoes, particularly in high-risk areas as cases are rising at alarming rate.

"Dengue is a disease caused by a virus spread through mosquito bites", Assistant Prof of Medicine Dr Asif Sheikh said while talking to a private news channel.

"Be a responsible citizen by keeping your surroundings neat and clean" he stressed, adding that collective efforts were required to keep dengue at bay".

"The most effective way to end mosquitoes is to keep the environment clean and to remove stagnant water so that mosquitoes can't breed," he further said.

Specialist said that dengue was an infectious tropical disease caused by a virus transmitted by a special kind of mosquito and there was no vaccination against it, but people who already infected by dengue can be vaccinated under new health protocols announced by WHO.

Replying to a question, he said overall nine countries had faced severe dengue outbreaks including America and Philippines, now there are up to 400 million infections a year globally.

He said dengue was an urban-based illness, adding that awareness would played a key role in the fight against dengue because prevention was far better than cure.

The dengue fever is spreading more in posh areas where rainwater could not be drained, he said, adding that maintaining cleanliness and eradicating mosquito breeding sites is the most effective preventive measure against dengue fever in current season.

"The increasing number of dengue cases is due to lack of awareness and cleanliness of our surroundings, but if we take preventive measure we can protect ourselves from this deadly disease", he said.