Fighting dengue: Dengue situation improving, says Nayyar Mehmood

Number of confirmed dengue patients at 1,065 in province.

LAHORE:

Dengue situation in the Punjab is improving with each passing day as all government departments are taking effective steps for controlling the spread of the disease, said Nayyar Mehmood, a member of the Chief Minister’s Inspection Team.

He was presiding over a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Dengue on Wednesday.

He said that senior consultants and trained doctors were providing treatment facilities to dengue patients at government hospitals.

In his briefing, Health Additional Director General (Dengue Control) Dr Islam Zafar said the number of confirmed dengue patients during the calendar year had risen to 1,065 in the province.

“The corresponding number last year was 1,296,” he said.

Zafar said that most of the patients had been reported in Rawalpindi. “There are 77 dengue fever patients in Lahore and 51 in Sheikhupura,” he said.

He said that 120 patients of dengue hemorrhagic fever and nine patients of dengue shock syndrome had been brought to hospitals. “Due to the hard work and professional devotion of doctors, almost all of them recovered,” he said.

Zafar said that free treatment facilities were being provided to dengue patients in hospitals of Rawalpindi and Lahore on the direction of Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif.

Lahore Health EDO Zulfiqar Ali briefed the meeting about surveillance activities in the city. The meeting was told that the breeding of dengue larvae had decreased considerably. “Besides case response, targetted fogging is also being carried out in areas where dengue larvae were found,” he said.

Mehmood expressed satisfaction with the steps being taken for eradication of dengue. He directed the officials to continue anti-dengue activities to control dengue.

Health Additional Secretary Dr Salman Shahid, representatives of the Water and Sanitation Agency, Parks and Horticulture Authority and the Cantonment Board were also present.

The Anti-Dengue Campaign continued on Wednesday.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 6^th, 2014.