Ready for dengue, says CM

Sharif tells officials to clear sewers and drains before monsoon.

LAHORE:

The government is prepared to combat any outbreak of dengue fever using the lessons learned from the epidemic of last year, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said on Wednesday.

Addressing a meeting with health officials at his camp office at Minar-i-Pakistan, the chief minister said private and public school students should be taught about preventive measures at summer schools so they could pass them on to their parents and families.

He said that at least one teacher in each school and college should be able to teach students about the preventive measures. Questions about dengue should also be put in exams, the chief minister added.

The chief minister directed officials to set up an anti-dengue brigade to raise awareness about the disease, and told them to invite the 125,000 students who got free laptops from the government to join the brigade.

Sharif stressed that people continue to donate blood to the Punjab Blood Line. He said graveyards and vacant plots must be kept clean so they don’t become dengue mosquito breeding grounds.

The chief minister also directed officials to be prepared for the monsoon season, particularly by clearing all blockages in drains and sewers.

The food secretary told the meeting that the Punjab Food Authority would be operational from July 1. The auqaf secretary said that the mosques run by his department were giving people information about polio and dengue, as well as asking them to remain peaceful.

Published In The Express Tribune, June 7^th, 2012.