Govt goes on the offensive against disease

CS says affective measures at this stage will benefit people during the season

LAHORE: September is a very important month for dengue control and all departments should strictly follow standard operating procedures (SOP), said Punjab Chief Secretary Captain (retired) Zahid Saeed.

He stressed no gaps should be left unattended at the provincial or district level to check the disease. He further said affective measures at this stage would benefit people during the whole dengue season.



He stated this while addressing a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Dengue at the Committee Room of the Civil Secretariat on Wednesday. Dengue Control Additional Director General Dr Farrukh Sultan briefed the meeting on the latest dengue situation in Punjab. He said vigorous indoor and outdoor surveillance in dengue-affected districts was continuing. He disclosed that the main source of dengue larva was discarded room coolers which were used in the summer season.

He said these room coolers and water containers had become hotspots for breeding due to accumulated water which was still not drained by residents. Dr Farrukh said despite regular awareness campaigns through the media and visiting surveillance teams, the response of housekeepers was very slow. “In several cases, they did not comply with the given instructions.

He said that during the current year, 116 confirmed patients had been reported in Punjab out of which 89 belonged to Punjab, 20 from other provinces and seven from Islamabad. He further informed the meeting that 25 patients were reported from Lahore, 12 from Rawalpindi, 10 from Gujranwala and six from Faisalabad.

Provincial Minister Imran Nazir, while addressing the meeting, said that elected vice chairmen from Rawalpindi Cantonment and the mayor were also taken on board for maximum community participation in anti-dengue activities. The chief secretary directed deputy commissioners to monitor the performances of government departments to control dengue activities.



He added important issues must be brought into the knowledge of provincial authorities. He said district administrations and officers of departments concerned had to bear this responsibility.

Captain Zahid Saeed said that a responsible person from the Health Department in Rawalpindi should visit the hospitals of Islamabad on a daily basis to collect the data of patients. He said that complete and correct data was essential for future planning.

The CS ordered that a special team from Lahore should be sent to such districts for third party validation from where dengue larva is still not reported.

Minister Primary and Secondary Health Kh. Imran Nazir directed the School Education Department to give a dengue hotspots checklist to children as home work and parents should fill that Performa.

Specialised Healthcare Minister Khwaja Salman Rafiq said he would personally visit Gujranwala and Rawalpindi, along with technical experts, next week, to monitor the situation.

Khawaja Salman further said that he will hold meetings with authorities of the federal capital in Islamabad for joint efforts to control the dengue virus.

Punjab Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education Minister Khawaja Salman Rafiq chaired the meeting.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 14^th, 2017.