Dengue action plan in place: health dept

ICT officials explain preventive measures at review meeting; NIH issues advisory for seasonal diseases

The health authority of Islamabad is following an action plan to contain spread of dengue, senior officials told a meeting held to review dengue control situation.

“The actions being taken include identifying and destroying mosquito breeding sites,” Islamabad Capital Territory District Health Officer (DHO) Dr Najeeb Durrani told the meeting.

Other measures include convincing people to cover drinking water containers, remove tyres, shoppers, plastic bottles and other wastes from roofs, drain water from room coolers and trays of refrigerators, Durrani told the meeting convened by Secretary Health Dr Allah Bakhsh Malik on directions of Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza.

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Durrani said that District Health Authority (DHA) has formed six teams of sanitary inspectors and malaria supervisors, besides 136 teams of lady health workers who go inside the homes to spread awareness among women about dengue prevention.

The meeting held at Ministry of National Health Services under the chair of Secretary Health Dr Malik to review the dengue situation in Islamabad was attended by Director General Health, heads of major hospitals in Islamabad, district health officers of Islamabad Capital Territory, CDA and related health institutions in the federal capital.

Secretary health expressed the importance of working in close coordination to address the dengue challenge effectively. There was high level of commitment amongst the stakeholders, he added.

The meeting was briefed in detail by DHO Dr Durrani and CDA Health Directorate’s Dr Iqbal Afridi on measures being taken in Islamabad regarding dengue prevention and control.

The meeting was informed that there was daily sharing of dengue cases reports by all major hospitals in Islamabad whereas daily meetings of ADHO with field staff are being held.

At least 714 hotspots for dengue in ICT and 2,206 hotspots in CDA are being given special attention. These include junkyards, tyre shops, water bodies etc. In addition public awareness drive has been launched to educate the residents on the prevention of dengue.

NIH advisory

The National Institute of Health has issued an alert regarding threat of spread of epidemic and seasonal diseases during summer, especially in monsoon.

The report said that the spread of seasonal disease in the country was likely from July to September. In particular, during this period, there was a high risk of dengue, Congo virus, malaria, diphtheria, measles, cholera, polio, hepatitis and typhoid fever.

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The NIH has issued instructions to all federal and provincial health officials that they should take precautions for preventing these viral and seasonal diseases, but also to manage the arrangements to help them quickly in case of the spread of these diseases.

The health authorities have also been told to finalise arrangements for the welfare of people in any emergency.

Congo virus threat

District health Authority has issued directions to avoid Congo fever on the occasion of forthcoming Eidil Azha.

Rawalpindi District Health Officer Dr Tahir Rizvi said that as sacrificial animal were being transported in the city areas it has been decided to create public awareness to protect the people from Congo fever and spread of virus could be checked by taking preventive measures. 

Published in The Express Tribune, July 19^th, 2019.