Dengue prevention: Pindi schools stick to tried and tested measures

No new measures taken despite high number of cases last year.

ISLAMABAD: Despite struggling to check the spread of the dengue virus last year, the Rawalpindi administration has not set aside any special funds for prevention of the disease in local schools, putting students at unnecessary risk. In most cases, schools have to take their own dengue prevention measures.

“We don’t mind getting the school sprayed every once in a while using our own finances,” said a subject specialist teacher at Government Comprehensive Girls Higher Secondary School, who requested to not be named. She was speaking on the sidelines of a briefing for female teachers on Friday.

Other times, we utilise the school management committee fund for buying anti-dengue powder, she said, adding that, “I have personally arranged for powder and spray three times during the last month. One powder packet costs Rs250,” she said.

But whatever measures we have taken against dengue, one can never be really sure or safe because there is an open sewage line running right across the street in front of our school, said the teacher.

Earlier, in the briefing conducted by Rawalpindi district education officers (EDO) Qazi Zahoorul Haque and Shahida Hashmi at Madrassa Milia Islamia High School (MMI) to formally restart dengue prevention activities. There were no real changes to the directives given last year.

Every school administration is responsible for ensuring that their premises are sprayed and that dengue awareness posters are visibly placed on campus.

The principal of MMI, however, explained that the education department does not provide them with awareness posters and the staff usually had to arrange posters on their own.

Sheraz Ahmed, an elementary schoolteacher at MMI, said that after the APS attack in Peshawar, “We are not conducting morning assemblies. That was where instructions on dengue were given once-a-week.” Students are now being given regular presentations on dengue prevention in zero periods, he added. Ahmed further explained that doctors from the health department conduct monthly checkups on students, but there is no specialised equipment.

“If you ask any primary student about the virus, they will tell you all the details such as what it is, how it spreads, and how to prevent it in a flash”, the teachers explained, satisfied with the fact that they have successfully taught their students the symptoms and basic preventative measures.

Deputy EDO Noureen Khalid was of the view that providing students with dengue-related information and testing them on it is the major focus, adding that the outcome is that no case of a student contracting the virus has been recorded so far this year.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 18^th, 2015.