Anti-dengue drive: All depts directed to put their heads together

FIRs to be lodged against management of commercial properties if dengue larva found

RAWALPINDI: Punjab Chief Secretary Khizar Hayyat Gondal has directed all departments and organisations of the city to work in close liaison by mobilising all available resources to contain a possible outbreak of dengue. 

Chairing a meeting at the Commissioner Office on Saturday, he said stringent measures should be taken to overcome the situation that was increasingly becoming dangerous due to the existence of larva breeding sites.

Gondal asked representatives of various departments to take effective measures to combat the challenge by keeping a constant liaison with each other to evaluate and monitor their performance with regards to dengue control.

The meeting was attended by Punjab Minister for Labour and Manpower Raja Ashfaq Sarwar, Parliamentary Secretary Punjab Sarfraz Afzal, Rawalpindi Commissioner Zahid Saeed, DCO Sajjad Zafar Dall, MNAs Malik Ibrar, Raja Muhammad Hanif and other government officials.

The chief secretary also directed the officials to remove debris and un-used construction material dumped along roadsides which also provide a breeding ground for dengue larvae. Gondal asked the officials to draw a plan to spray graveyards, public places and cattle compounds so that chances of larvae breeding could be minimised.

It was also decided to lodge FIRs against the management of commercial properties if the larva was found there.

Sarwar told the meeting that a comprehensive and integrated action plan was being implemented with the coordination of the local administration and departments. He said that now it was the need of the hour that “we should increase our efforts to deal with the situation efficiently”.

Punjab Health Secretary Jawad Rafique Malik said that the health department was fully equipped to fight dengue, and suggested that dengue surveillance count should be increased to cover all localities of the garrison city.

A day before, at least 11 more people tested positive for dengue fever in the city taking the total number of reported cases this year to 81.

In a high level meeting on Friday, Punjab Health Secretary Jawad Rafique Malik directed all secretaries of allied departments to play their role with full responsibility on a ‘war-footing’ against the disease.

A senior official of the district health department told The Express Tribune that thus far, 45 people had tested positive for dengue fever at Holy Family Hospital, seven at District Headquarters Hospital and the remainder at Benazir Bhutto Hospital.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 6^th, 2015.