Talking to The Express Tribune, Dr Aurangzeb Alamgir, Punjab University’s (PU) acting registrar, said, “We focused all our attention towards dengue prevention on the campus.”
Dr Alamgir termed the efforts of the teaching and administrative staff fruitful and thanked them for conducting various activities regarding the campaign the entire day. Besides distribution of pamphlets and display of banners containing awareness messages, several seminars were held by various academic departments.
Sharing minutes of meetings and discussions, the acting registrar said, “We discussed the standard operating procedures on how to prevent the accumulation of fresh water.”
The university, he said, had been active in revising dengue awareness last year. This year, he said, the administration and faculty have been working since July.
Academic and residential blocks as well as hostels were fumigated as part of the dengue campaign. “Though the university has been running the campaign for some time now, today obviously the campus was working exclusively for the dengue campaign,” Dr Alamgir said.
He said that samples were collected from various areas on the campus to test for dengue mosquito larvae. So far, he said, no traces of dengue larvae have been found on either campus.
“This was the third survey of the year,” he added.
Formed last year, the Punjab University Dengue Research Group (DRG) has been collecting samples across the campus.
Speaking about the group’s activities, DRG Chairman Dr Saeed Akhtar said every spraying session at the campus was monitored. Moreover, he said, the group had been testing water samples collected from the university premises.
He said pamphlets were being regularly distributed among students and staff to generate awareness.
Dr Akhtar said that the DRG consisted of three research groups made up of entomologists, biologists and other scientists.
He said that 40 people were part of the DRG. These include PU teachers and a few doctors from Fatima Memorial Hospital.
In a statement issued later by the administration, Vice Chancellor Dr Mujahid Kamran said that the initiative was part of the Punjab government’s dengue awareness campaign under which all government departments and institutes had been directed to remain open on Sunday.
According to PU’s public relations department, the institute is expected to remain open next Sunday as well under the same awareness campaign.
Awareness campaign launched at KC
A dengue awareness drive was launched at the Kinnaird College for Women on Sunday as part of the chief minister’s dengue eradication campaign. An inspection team, headed by Deputy Secretary (Education) Tariq Hameed Bhatti, visited the college to evaluate anti dengue steps taken by the administration. He was accompanied by Principal Dr Rukhsana David.
The deputy secretary was informed that all potential mosquito breeding points on the premises had been thoroughly cleaned and sprayed and open drains had been covered. The principal said that a lecture had also been arranged for students on dengue awareness on Monday (today) at the college’s Hladia Hall at 10am.
Bhatti expressed satisfaction with the arrangements taken to avoid breeding of dengue mosquito larvae and congratulated the principal for having constituted a college committee last month for dengue control.
Pamphlets on dengue awareness and precautions were also distributed among faculty and staff.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 27th, 2012.
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