Health dept collaborates with NGO to combat dengue

CM approves Rs275 million for Dengue Prevention and Control Programme for three years

KARACHI: Sindh health department finally signed an agreement with an international organisation to help eradicate dengue virus in the province, especially in the port city where regular cases surface despite awareness campaigns.

The Plan International, which is already working with the Punjab government, signed a memorandum of understanding with the provincial health authorities, allowing the organisation to launch dengue awareness campaigns. The organisation is expected to launch a campaign in the first week of March.



"We are already working on awareness drives but, the partnership is an additional effort," claimed Dengue Prevention and Control Programme (DPCP) head Dr Masood Ahmed Solangi.

Health minister Jam Mehtab Hussain Dahar said that everyone, including political leadership, civil society and media would be encouraged to endorse the campaigns and eradicate the virus from Sindh.

The delegation of the organisation led by its national programme manager, Aijaz Khuwaja held a meeting with Dahar at his office on Thursday.

The minister was briefed that the NGO will provide funds, while the health department will help with technical support.

Around 500,000 pamphlets were distributed during a massive awareness drive last year, said Dahar. "More awareness campaigns will be initiated this year as well," he said, directing the health department to launch seminars even at university level.

Around 3,600 dengue cases surfaced last year, while 11 people died due to the virus. "It was the lowest death rate since 2005," claimed Dr Solangi. About 217 cases have been confirmed this year so far, but not a single death has been reported, he added.



According to the health officials, more cases will surface after the change in the weather from May onwards. Despite the claims of the health department, the awareness drive and fumigation campaigns have yet to be initiated this year.

Financing the campaign

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah approved Rs275 million for the Dengue Prevention and Control Programme for the next three years.

He took this decision while presiding over a meeting of health department at the Chief Minister House on Thursday.

The programmes aim to conduct active surveillance by collecting data from all public and private hospitals, establish isolation wards in all governements hospitals and provide them with dengue kits and platelet mega units, and also establish eight cell separator machines in all tertiary care hospitals.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 26^th, 2016.