Seminar: Together we can

We were told that the dengue mosquitoes only grew in clean water. Later we learnt the mosquito could grow anywhere.

LAHORE:

The citizen’s cooperation is crucial to curb the dengue outbreak, Dr Saima Shah, the Cantonment CEO, said. She was speaking at a seminar at the Defence Club organised jointly by the administrations of Cantonment and Defence House Authority on Sunday. It was also attended by several officials from the Health Department and the City District Government of Lahore (CDGL). She suggested that the residents of the areas with high incidence of mosquitoes should regularly use mosquito repellent coils and sprays.

“We have enhanced our fogging capacity by purchasing new fogging machines. A 10-bed ward has been set up at the Cantonment General Hospital and a 100-bed one at the Combined Military Hospital,” she said.

(Read: Mosquito menace)

DHA Secretary Col Naveed Sikander Rana said that four camps had been set up for dengue diagnosis. These camps were working round the clock, he said. He said blood tests at these camps were free-of-cost. DHA was also providing ambulance service to hospitals for those who tested positive.

Rana said that the DHA was sprayed every third day. Water standing in empty plots was also sprayed, he said. DHA will soon get 10 more fogging machines from the CDGL, he added. Health Department Director General Dr Aslam Chaudhry said that up to 40 per cent of the dengue fever cases in the city had been reported from DHA and Cantonment. He said that the department had deputed a district officer to assist and guide the Cantonment and DHA administrations with the insecticide spray. “The insecticides provided by the Health Department are not counterfeit. They are all genuine and meet the World Health Organisation standards,” he said. Khwaja Saad Rafique, a PML-N member of the National Assembly from Lahore, was also present. He regretted that some officials had misguided the government about the dengue infection. “We were told that the dengue mosquitoes only grew in clean water. Only later, we learnt that the mosquito could grow anywhere,” he said. He said that the chief minister had taken notice of the high prices of medicines and mosquito repellents. Those over-charging will be punished, he said.  He said private school owners found creating obstacles to the spray campaign will be jailed, no matter how influential they might be. He said fourth year medical students will soon start assisting the doctors at various hospitals. Some 750 fogging machines will soon be imported from Germany, he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 12^th,  2011.