Health alert: ‘Watch out for Congo virus as Eidul Azha draws near’

Rafique says 70,049 children have been vaccinated against viral diseases.


Our Correspondent September 20, 2014

LAHORE:


As markets for sacrificial animals are being set up in the province ahead of Eidul Azha, the provincial administration has been directed to take all possible precautionary measures against Congo virus.


The Health Department and relevant institutions have been instructed to stay vigilant and take all possible measures to eliminate the virus.

Separately, Adviser to Chief Minister on Health Khwaja Salman Rafique said that 624 medical teams and 194 ambulances of the Health Department were working in flood affected areas round the clock. He said more than 204,000 flood victims had been provided medical treatment so far.

Rafique said 70,049 children had been vaccinated against viral diseases and 66,351 children had been administered polio drops so far. He said they were also vaccinating pregnant women against tetanus. Health Department teams were going door to door and had vaccinated 3,936 pregnant women so far.

Rafique said these teams were also collecting samples of water from 11 districts. More than 800,000 aquapura pills had been distributed among flood victims. Rafique said complete medical cover would be provided to flood victims. He thanked the World Health Organisation and the United Nations Children’s Fund for cooperating with the Health Department.

Relief operations in flood-affected areas

The largest flood relief and rehabilitation operation is underway, Sharif said. Villages where damages amount to 40 per cent of the property’s value have been declared calamity-hit. He said flood victims would be compensated for the losses.

The chief minister was presiding over a joint meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Flood and Cabinet Committee on Price Control on Friday.

Sharif said there was an urgent need to pay attention to relief activities. He said rehabilitation work should be completed as soon as possible.

He told the committees to ensure that the survey of damages to property and crops was transparent. He told them to use satellite images for assessment of losses in devastated areas.

He said a provincial steering committee headed by the chief secretary should supervise the process of rehabilitating flood-hit areas.

He said the committee should meet every week to review rehabilitation activities and said he would monitor their progress.

He asked for recommendations regarding drainage of water from inundated areas near Trimmu and Jhang.  He said job opportunities could be provided to locals by utilising the services of the youth in rehabilitation efforts.

Participants said that helicopters made 338 sorties during the rescue and relief operation and distributed 300,063 kilogrammes of food and relief items over 377 hour-long flights. They were used to transport 392 persons to safer locations.

The chief minister directed the Cabinet Committee on Price Control to take all necessary steps to keep prices of vegetables and essential items at reasonable rates. He said artificial shortage or overcharging would not be tolerated.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 20th, 2014.

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