Rawalpindi-District Coordinator Epidemics Prevention and Control Dr Sajjad Mehmood Sunday informed that the dengue virus was endemic in Rawalpindi with a reported incidence of over 2000 cases per year since 2012. 
Talking to APP, he said that dengue fever was a viral disease transmitted by the bite of an infected female Aedes mosquito. The health officer informed that this year dengue cases were mainly reported from Rawalpindi and Chaklala Cantonment board areas, including Misrial Road, Range Road, Westridge Bazar, from Dhoke Munshi khan, Girja Road, Chakra, Dhoke Mustaqeem and Naseerabad. 
He said that the city administration was making all-out efforts to control it as per the SOPs issued by the government while spraying and fogging at patients residences along 48 houses adjacent to the victim’s houses being carried out besides removing of larvae.
Dr Sajjad said that dengue fever was not a life-threatening disease, but it can cause severe life-threatening complications if not treated properly. 
“If you have a high-grade fever of 3-10 days duration with associated symptoms like headache, muscle and joint pains, retro-orbital pain (pain behind the eyeballs) and skin rash, then you need to get yourself checked,” he added. 
Dr Sajjad informed that under ongoing anti-dengue drive, from January 1 to October 23, various district government departments had registered 262 FIRs, issued notices to 1680, challaned 821, sealed 282 sites, and imposed a fine of Rs 875,000 over violation of dengue standard operating procedures.
Dr Sajjad said that during indoor surveillance from October 13 to 22 in all tehsils of the district and Cantonment areas, 334,107 houses were checked by 1321 teams and larvae were found at 4733 homes while 436 teams during outdoor surveillance checked 106,749 sites and larvae were located at 155 points. 
He urged the residents to keep their water tanks clean and not to leave any place wet with stagnant water and advised the residents to adopt preventive measures and inform the department immediately on 0800-99000 if dengue larvae were found in their houses as the government alone cannot check the spread of dengue larvae.