Dengue threat: District government’s cleanliness week ends

DCO urges people to ensure rainwater is drained

LAHORE: The City District Government’s (CDGL) cleanliness week ended on Saturday.

Lahore District Coordination Officer (DCO) Capt (r) Muhammad Usman inspected the district courts complex. He checked cleanliness arrangements and inspected water tanks at roofs of government buildings. He directed the Revenue Department officials to remove the growth on roof for better cleanliness.

Usman said under the anti-dengue campaign surveillance teams were inspecting cleanliness arrangements in the city. “District government officials are checking cleanliness arrangements at tyre shops, junk yards and graveyards to stop the breeding of dengue larvae,” he said. He appealed to people to ensure cleanliness in their surroundings and remove any standing water from flower pots and room coolers. He urged people to cooperate with dengue surveillance teams.

A Health Department spokesman said that Dengue Experts’ Advisory Group (DEAG), headed by King Edward Medical University Vice Chancellor Faisal Masood, was training doctors and nurses regarding dengue case management. “The DEAG is arranging training at divisional as well as district level to doctors posted in dengue wards of public hospitals,” he said.

He said that the Cabinet Committee on Dengue and Town Response Committees had been put on alert. “They are checking steps being taken to control dengue. No dengue patient has so far been reported in the provincial capital. However, dengue wards and high dependency units (HDUs) have become functional in government hospitals to provide the best possible treatment to patients,” he said.

Allama Iqbal Town Assistant Commissioner Ali Shahzad said that the information-sharing mechanism between the Health Department and Punjab Information Technology Board should be strengthened. He was addressing a meeting held to review anti-dengue arrangements. Meeting participants were informed dengue larvae were found from 89 places in Allama Iqbal Town, which had been destroyed.

Shahzad directed the WASA, the Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) and the Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC) to drain rainwater. “Private housing societies should clear rainwater from empty plots using dewatering pumps to avoid dengue larvae growth,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 17^th, 2016.