Symposium kicks off at Punjab Medical College

Participants from India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Cuba and Thailand attend event.

FAISALABAD:

An international symposium on Dengue Prevention and Future Prospects kicked off at the Punjab Medical College, Faisalabad, on Monday.

The three-day symposium has been jointly organised by PMC and the University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF). Advisor to Chief Minister on Health Khawaja Salman Rafiq was in the chair.

The organisers said that the symposium aimed at sharing knowledge and research findings among professionals.

Addressing the event, Rafiq said that half of the world’s population was at risk of dengue fever. He said the number of dengue patients was recorded at 20 million annually, out of which 24,000 lost their lives to the disease.

He said owing to the efforts of the Punjab government, no death from dengue fever had been reported this year. He stressed the need for vigilance especially during the rainy season.

Rafiq appreciated the efforts of the district government and research organisations of Faisalabad for spreading awareness among the people.

Earlier, UAF Vice Chancellor Iqrar Ahmad Khan informed the symposium that Faisalabd Commissioner Tahir Hussain had taken the initiative to bring together several research organisations under the Faisalabad Research and Development Forum.

He said that UAF had started a BSc programme in human nutrition and dietetics in collaboration with the PMC to address dengue fever and other diseases with better food habits.

Dr Khan said that 10 research groups of the UAF were working on dengue virus and its vector management by using various techniques.

PMC Principal Dr Zahid Yasin Hashmi said that scientists from Thailand and Cuba were also participating in the research MPA Khwaja Muhammad Islam said Sri Lanka had been unable to eradicate dengue in 30 years, but he hoped that it would be eliminated in the Punjab.

Researchers from India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Cuba and Thailand are participating in the symposium.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 25^th, 2012.