Dengue affected areas in Peshawar declared Red Zone

PESHAWAR: As the number of dengue cases rise to over 3,000 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the affected areas of the provincial metropolis have been declared as Red Zones.

“Peshawar has been divided into three zones: Red Zone is the one where the dengue virus is epidemic, Yellow Zone comprises areas neighbouring the Red Zone and the third is Green Zone,” Peshawar Deputy Commissioner Saqib Raza Aslam told Geo News.

Experts, whose help has been sought to fight the virus, say that old tyres in the district have served as the breeding ground for dengue mosquitoes. They also believe the mosquitoes breeding in the area could spread across the country.

“Old tyres have eggs of dengue mosquitoes,” Assistant Professor Basit Rasheed said. “When these tyres are put in water, the larvae come out of the eggs. Subsequently, the mosquitoes spread in the area.”

But merely carrying out campaigns and fumigating areas would not curb the virus, experts said, public support is also essential for the cause.

The Peshawar district administration has said over 200 teams were working towards eradicating the dengue virus and have fumigated 15,000 houses so far in an attempt to kill dengue mosquitoes.

On the other hand, 400 dengue patients were being treated at hospitals across KP, while 10 have succumbed to the virus so far.