Public health: Depts asked to step up anti-dengue efforts

CM’s adviser told that only one dengue patient is under treatment in Rawalpindi

LAHORE: Advisor to Chief Minister on Health Khwaja Salman Rafique directed the departments concerned on Monday to expedite their anti-dengue activities during the ongoing monsoon rains.

He was chairing a meeting of the Cabinet committee on Dengue, at Civil Secretariat.

The CM’s advisor directed all hospitals to send to the Punjab Information Technology Board the data of suspected, probable and confirmed dengue fever patients.

Chief Minister’s Dengue Research Cell In-chrage Wasim Akram said mechanical and chemical methods might be adopted for the elimination of mosquito larvae. Dengue Control Additional Director General Health Fayyaz Butt told the participants that dengue surveillance activities had been expedited. As a result, he said, more cases of dengue larvae had been reported in the districts declared sensitive for the purpose.

He said that this year, 64 dengue fever patients had been reported across the province – 19 of the patients had come to the Punjab from Karachi and seven from Saudi Arabia.

He said dengue fever patients from Azad Kashmir were also coming to hospitals in Rawalpindi. He said a patient, namely Luqman, from Bagh area of Azad Kashmir, was receiving treatment at the Holy Family Hospital, Rawalpindi. His condition is improving, Butt said.

Rafique said the provincial government had allowed district governments of Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi and Multan to hire contingency staff according to their requirement for dengue surveillance activities.

Lahore DCO Muhammad Usman proposed that standard operating procedures for dengue control might be revised for better results during the monsoon season.

The participants were informed that appropriate arrangements for the treatment of dengue fever patients had been made at all government hospitals.

Dengue Experts Advisory Group secretary Somia Iqtidar said the group had trained doctors and nurses to deal with dengue fever patients.

Health Services Director General Mukhtar Hussain Syed said a sufficient stock of insecticides was available. The commissioners and DCOs of Gujranwala, Rawalpindi, Multan, Attock and Jhelum apprised the meeting of the dengue larvae situation in their areas and the ongoing surveillance activities in this regard.

MPA Pir Ashraf Rasool, Mukhtar Hussain Syed and DCOs of Lahore, Sheikhupura and Faisalabad attended the meeting at Civil Secretariat.

The commissioners, DCOs and health EDOs of Gujranwala, Multan, Rawalpindi, Jhelum and Attock participated in the session via video link.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 16^th, 2016.