The Lodhran district administration has issued warning notices to 947 government officials while also registering cases against 46 others for showing negligence in undertaking anti-dengue measures.
According to Lodhran Deputy Commissioner Babar Rehman Waraich, the district administration has held 84 sessions, seven seminars and three rallies to spread awareness about dengue prevention among the public. He added that a total of 279 indoor and 73 outdoor teams were deployed across the district for anti-dengue vector surveillance, of which 93 indoor and 28 outdoor teams were deployed in Tehsil Lodhran, 85 indoor and 23 outdoor teams in Tehsil Kahrorpaka and 101 indoor and 22 outdoor teams in Tehsil Dunyapur.
The DC further said that over 2,000 hotspots were identified, which required anti-dengue measures.
During the last week, 279 indoor teams carried out over 41,000 anti-dengue activities, while 73 outdoor teams have carried out more than 12,690 anti-dengue activities. The DC stated this while chairing a meeting of the District Emergency Response Committee for Anti-Dengue Measures in his office on Saturday. Additional Deputy Commissioner Revenue Azuba Azeem, Additional Deputy Commissioner Malik Ahmed Faraz Awan, District Health Officer Captain (retd) Muhammad Usman and other relevant departmental officers participated in the meeting.
DC Waraich said that the district administration and citizens have to cooperate for the complete prevention of dengue. He stated that strict legal action would be taken when larvae are found in public places and advised the authorities and officials concerned to avoid negligence with regard to dengue, warning that those responsible would be fined and booked.
Buildings where dengue larvae are found would also be sealed.
The DC urged citizens to take precautionary measures to prevent dengue and make the government initiatives successful, adding that citizens should undertake anti-dengue measures in their homes by installing safety nets on their doors.
He instructed the officers of the health department to pay special attention to the treatment of suspected dengue patients, urging every department to strictly follow the prescribed procedures to deal with the outbreak. The DC added that no effort would be spared to deal with the dengue epidemic and all resources will be used to combat the viral disease. The meeting also reviewed anti-dengue measures taken by various departments.
Last week, the highest number of dengue fever cases in a day in Punjab this year was recorded, with 385 new patients registered in the province during the past 24 hours. The most alarming situation is in Lahore, where 186 dengue cases were confirmed, followed by 100 in Rawalpindi and 32 in Gujranwala division.
A rapidly increasing number of patients admitted to hospitals in the province prompted health officials to call for the imposition of an emergency to cope with the situation.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 2nd, 2022.
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