Health Department told to tighten their belts

Environment secy wants anti-dengue campaign on war footing.

FAISALABAD:

The onset of the monsoon season has received the threats of dengue mosquito breeding.

Environment Protection Secretary Sher Alam Mehsood has called upon the Health Department and others concerned to take concrete measures to curb dengue mosquito breeding.

Mehsood was presiding over a meeting at the commissioner’s office here on Friday. He said the anti-dengue campaign should be conducted on war footing. He said dengue fever took years to be eradicated. Comparing the situation to that two years ago, Mehsood said, the government had come a long way.

He urged the police to treat dengue fever as a social issue and stressed the need for mobilising the community to take preventive measures. He said every citizen must be part of the campaign.

The EPD secretary also stressed the need for repeated inspections and surveillance of potential breeding sites, including junkyards, parks and nurseries, tyre shops and under-construction buildings. He also urged the officials concerned to monitor disposal of industrial and medical waste.

Commissioner Ejaz Munir suggested setting up town-level emergency response committees, which he said, should meet at least once a week to review the dengue fever situation. He said the relevant departments had been put on high alert.

DCO Najam Ahmed Shah informed the meeting that junkyards, graveyards, tyre shops, water drains and other water bodies were being surveyed for dengue mosquito breeding. He said awareness literature was being distributed among citizens and banners and hoardings had also been displayed. He said 800,000 questionnaires and car stickers had been distributed among students and their input sought.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 15^th, 2013.