Health scares: Dengue, pollen allergy management planned

If approved, the programme will commence in January 2012.

ISLAMABAD: To make the capital dengue and pollen free, the proposal for the Prime Minister’s special initiative for the management of dengue and pollen allergy in Islamabad has been chalked out.

Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) Health Adviser Dr Yaqoob Qureshi said that the plan will be tabled before the Departmental Development Working Party (DDWP) for approval on November 14.

The estimated cost of the project is Rs59 million and has been planned by CADD, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration. If approved, the plan will start up in January 2012, he said.

Qureshi said that every year, a large number of people in the capital suffer from pollen allergies and this year the dengue outbreak was massive. He said this plan will help overcome shortcomings in dealing with and controlling both health hazards.

Under the plan, chemicals for killing mosquito larvae will be provided to the ICT and CDA to conduct timely fogging and fumigation in rural and urban areas. Hospitals will be provided required supplies and a strategy will be proposed to the National Institute of Health (NIH) to deal with both health problems, said Qureshi. “We are hopeful that the measures will help control the spread of dengue in 2012,” he said.

He said that educational institutes will be targeted, with teachers and students being trained to create awareness about the prevention and treatment of dengue and pollen allergies. Lady Health Workers will be trained to locate active breeding grounds for dengue mosquitoes to assist in identifying locations for fumigation. Media persons will be trained on how to report on these diseases and a platform will be provided from where they can get accurate statistics and information, he added.

Qureshi said some funds will also be allocated for research, which will help in devising further measures to control the two health concerns. If the plan is successful, health professionals from Rawalpindi will be enrolled for training under it, he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 14^th,  2011.