Anti-Dengue Day: Awareness walks held in various districts

Lyallpur TMA advises people to wear full-sleeved clothes as a precaution

MULTAN/FAISALABAD:

An awareness walk was held to mark Anti-Dengue Fever Day in Multan on Wednesday. DCO Zahid Saleem Gondal led the walk from Fort Qasim to Katchery Chowk.

Officials of various government departments and the civil society participated in the walk. The participants held up banners and distributed pamphlets, carrying dengue fever preventive measures, on the roads.

Town officers and Officers of various departments including solid waste management company, health, education, environment, and tourism departments also participated in the rally.

Talking to the journalists at the end of the rally, DCO Zahid Saleem Gondal said it was wiser to take preventive measures against dengue mosquitoes than fearing the disease. “The district government is working day and night to eradicate dengue mosquitoes.”

However, the district government cannot control this disease without the cooperation of civil society. He requested people to keep their environment dry and clean and to drain stagnant water. He also advised them to cover all vessels kept on rooftops.

A ceremony was organised at Raza Hall in this regard. Gondal presided over the session and directed government officials to initiate a cleanliness campaign in their offices to set an example for the masses. In Faisalabad, an awareness seminar organised by the Health and Education Departments was held at Lyallpur Hall to mark Anti-Dengue Fever Day.

Lyallpur Town Administrator Rafia Haider was the chief guest. Health Services Director Zahid Malik, Education EDO Bashir Zahid Goraya and other officials of Health and Education Departments attended the seminar.

Haider said the province-wide Anti-Dengue Fever campaign would continue in the district with much determination and passion. She said dengue fever had become a standing menace to health and it was the duty of every citizen to play an active role in eradicating dengue mosquitoes. She suggested that people wear full-sleeved garments.  All possible efforts are being made to eradicate dengue mosquitoes. “As in previous years, we will not let it become an epidemic this year.”  The health services director told the participants about the various measures they were taking.

The University of Agriculture Faisalabad issued a press statement saying it had become a dengue mosquito-free campus. It said the university had launched an aggressive campaign against dengue mosquitoes and had fumigated the all hostels, classrooms, residential colonies and open spaces on campus.

UAF Vice Chancellor Iqrar Ahmad Khan also led an awareness walk on Wednesday morning. The walk was organised by the Department of Entomology.

Khan said the University was heading the government’s research and development programme in this regard. He lauded the efforts of the university’s scientists and staff in the dengue mosquito eradication campaign.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 7^th,  2016.