Public health: Anti-dengue arrangements reviewed

CM’s advisor says union councils with largest number of larvae should be identified.

LAHORE:

Khwaja Salman Rafique, the special assistant to the chief minister on health, on Monday stressed the need for making town response committees functional to monitor the anti-dengue campaign in the district.  Proposing that the committee members meet regularly to share updates among each themselves, he said the liaison will help the town managements.

Rafique was presiding over a cabinet committee meeting on Monday to review the implementation of strategies developed to eradicate dengue larvae.

He said that a special campaign will be launched in union councils where dengue larvae were reported. He directed all departments concerned to intensify vector surveillance and larva-siding activities and their strict monitoring keeping in mind the potential dengue breeding spots, especially after the rains.

Lahore commissioner, the district coordination officer, district government officials and secretaries of the departments concerned were present.

Entomologist Dr Waseem Akram, in charge of the chief minister’s Dengue Research Cell, said that stagnant rainwater in various localities of the city was the major cause of breeding of the dengue mosquito.

The commissioner proposed that a dengue day should be observed in Lahore to control dengue mosquito and spread awareness about it.

Rafique directed that the special garbage removal campaign be launched in the next few days. He said the union councils where larva was being reported in large number should be declared sensitive.

The special assistant was briefed about the working of several departments concerned and performance and activities of its officials.

For the convenience of dengue patients, Rafique directed the Health Department officials that standard operating procedure and code of procedure of the previous year should be enforced again in all hospitals.

The DCO said that 10,000 banners have been prepared for public awareness about dengue which will be displayed on the backside of rickshaws.

Some MPAs proposed that insecticide should be dropped in stagnant water across the city. They were informed that the Health Department was already doing this.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 14^th, 2012.