The announcement by the Makkah Mayoralty that seven new cases of dengue fever have been discovered and that the affected people were admitted to various hospitals last week has left many of the city's inhabitants worried. The mayoralty has been intensifying its campaign to eradicate the mosquitoes that cause dengue fever. Eighteen working teams are tasked the chore of spraying insecticide from 3 P.M. until 10 P.M. daily in all residential districts and communities in the city, especially in regions where presence of the infected female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that transmit the virus causing dengue fever has been discovered. These regions included the Misfala and Al-Sharaie communities. Dr. Khaled Obaid Dafar, Director General of Makkah Health Affairs, said combating mosquitoes that spread dengue fever is the responsibility of the environment health department at the mayoralty. “Our department's priority is to provide treatment to those infected with the viral disease. However, we are also exerting great efforts to combat the disease and prevent spreading of the infected mosquitoes.” He added that concerned authorities must intensify public awareness campaign to take preventive measures against the disease, and there should not be any stagnant pools of water or uncovered water tanks especially at construction sites. Speaking to the newspaper, a number of Makkahwis blamed the outbreak on inaction and negligence on the part of the local authorities. Saleh Bin Ali, a citizen from Rusaifa District, narrated his bitter experience when his children were infected with dengue fever. “Initially I took my children three times to King Faisal Hospital in Shisha District but they did not receive proper treatment. “My request to hospitalize them was turned down by the hospital staff,” he said. Saleh then took his daughter to Heraa General Hospital where the hospital staff failed to diagnose the dengue fever virus. He said that the raw sewage that ran from damaged drainage was the main reason for spreading the mosquitoes in his neighborhood, and lamented the concerned municipal authorities inaction to take effective preventive measures against the disease. Muhammad Ahmad Al-Sharief, another citizen, said that residents in Rusaifa are suffering from diseases and other health complications caused by the huge swarms of mosquitoes due to running sewage water from tanks after demolition of several residential buildings to make way for the railway project. The municipality's anti-dengue department officials are conspicuous by their total absence from the district, he said. Another Rusaifa resident Nasser Al-Saheli said that two of his children stricken with dengue fever remain hospitalized. “Other members of the family as well as neighbors and relatives are in the grip of panic about a possible infection,” he said. Matar Al-Jahdali, another citizen from Rusaifa, said he was forced to take his son to Jeddah hospital for treatment of dengue after most hospitals in Makkah failed to properly diagnose the disease. “I have so far spent more than SR10,000 for the treatment,” he added.
