Dengue surveillance plan reviewed

Auqaf Dept asked to ensure hygiene at Eidgahs

LAHORE: Advisor to Chief Minister on Health Khawaja Salman Rafiq has directed all departments concerned to continue their dengue surveillance activities during Eid holidays.

He was presiding over a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Dengue on Friday. He asked officials concerned to pay special attention to surveillance activities at graveyards, junkyards, construction sites and tyre shops.



He said heavy rains were expected in the province in the coming days. He said negligence on part of officials concerned in discharge of their duties would not be tolerated. He said removal of all dengue breeding sites should be ensured.

Rafiq expressed annoyance on learning about the absence of the Auqaf Department representative from the meeting. He said the Auqaf Department should launch a campaign for cleanliness and dengue surveillance at mosques and shrines across the province. “It is important to ensure that all Eidgahs are in hygienic condition. Large gatherings will be taking place at these sites for Eid prayers,” he said.

Rafiq said the scope of the anti-dengue campaign should also be extended to Cantonment areas of Lahore and Rawalpindi.Earlier, Dengue Control Additional Director General Fayyaz Butt briefed the meeting about dengue fever situation in the province.



Chief Minister’s Dengue Research Cell incharge Wasim Akram stressed the need for fixing errors in statistics of dengue fever patients in the province. Primary and Secondary Healthcare Secretary Ali Jan Khan, Health Services DG Mukhtar Hussain Syed, senior officers of various other departments and agencies were present on the occasion. Commissioners and DCOs of Gujranwala, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad and Multan joined through a video link. They briefed the meeting about dengue control activities in their areas.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 2^nd, 2016.