RAWALPINDI: The local administration on Tuesday admitted that the late start of an anti-dengue campaign in the city caused an alarming increase in patients.

Speaking to mediapersons, Commissioner Zahid Saeed said, `Had the campaign started earlier, the dengue virus would not have spread.

The commissioner said now they had sped up the campaign, and would control the virus.

The healthexpertsbelieved thatthe campaign should have started in March April, but this year it began after August 15, Flanked by Adviser to the Punjab Chief Minister on Dengue Dr Waseem Ahmed and King Edward Medical University Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr.

Fasial Masood, the commissionershared the data of dengue patients reported in the hospitals during the last two months.

`A total 5,788 suspected patients came to the three government run hospitals from August end to October 19.

Of them 1,810 were confirmed dengue patients-1,276 male and 534 female.

`Private and institutional hospitals in the garrison city received 319 dengue patients. Still, 70 to 72 dengue patients daily land in the three hospitals,` he said.

The commissioner maintained that the local administration had declared 31 union councils as highly sensitive, where they launched a massive fogging but even then the dengue larvae are found there,` he said.

Replying to a question, he said the government had doubled its efforts to control the virus and was monitoring the campaign.

`Six teams of special branch, 10 teams of agriculture department and eight teams of local government departments had been formed to monitor the anti-dengue campaign by the local administration,` he said.

He said that mosquito repellent lotions would be distributed among the residents of high risk areas fromWednesday (October 21).

`The government has collected Rs3.657 million from the fines imposed on the building owners, junk yards, tyre shops and others who failed to adopt anti-dengue measures.

A total 255 cases have been registered, 141 persons arrested and 250 buildings sealed in this campaign,` he said.

He said the number of dengue patients would decrease by November end when temperature would relatively be low.

According to a report of Rawalpindi Medical College, this season Holy Family Hospital (HFH), Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH) and District headquarters (DHQ) Hospital received 20,963 suspecte d patients. Of them, 2,149 were confirmed dengue patients. He said six persons died from the disease-five in HFH and one at BBH.

At present, 220 dengue patients--77 at HFH,110 at BBH and 33 at DHQ hospital-are under-treatment at three government run hospitals.

The condition of four patients is critical including three at HFH and one at BBH as these patients are admitted in Intensive Care Unit (ICU).