Steps ordered to curb dengue

LAHORE
Environment Protection Department (EPD), Punjab has directed all the administrative secretaries, divisional and district administrations to ensure implementation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and other such instructions issued to curb the menace of dengue.
Provincial Secretary EPD Dr Iqbal Chohan, in an official letter addressed to all administrative secretaries of Punjab, said that Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had reiterated his earlier directions that all administrative secretaries were to personally ensure the strict implementation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and other such instructions issued from time to time for curbing the menace of dengue in letter and spirit.
He said EPD had been entrusted for the inspection of junkyards and godowns for eradication of dengue larvae. He said dengue squads of EPD had observed during the visits that junkyards of different government departments were being neglected by the authorities concerned and were becoming major breeding sites of dengue larvae.
Secretary EPD said as per SOPs, junk was kept under a proper covering or in a shed, premises were kept clean, ventilated, well-lit, well-drained and junk appropriately stacked, size of stacks should not obstruct inspection of junkyard around the year, as far as possible, junkyard shall have pedestrian passages between stacks to facilitate inspection. He stated that according to the SOPs, all junk is kept empty and turned upside down to prevent water retention, water from coverings and outdoor junk is removed immediately after rain, timely preventive measures are taken where necessary and larviciding is carried out during mosquito breeding seasons. Dr Iqbal Chohan added that all junk is kept dried around the year, grass should be properly maintained and junk should be disposed of on priority basis. He requested the administrative secretaries to issue immediate instructions to all concerned to ensure above-mentioned measures at provincial headquarters as well as in field formations across the province.
The copies of this letter were also sent to all commissioners in the Punjab Province, Director General, EPA, Punjab, Lahore, all District Coordination Officers in Punjab Province, Director (EDH)/(AL&C), EPA, Punjab, Lahore, all Deputy Directors (Lab) EPA in Punjab Province and all District Officers (Environment) in the province for implementation.
Cleanliness: Adviser to Chief Minister on Health, Khwaja Salman Rafiq has said that cleanliness drive should be continued in government and commercial buildings as well as houses for effective dengue control. He said collective efforts of government departments and the public were required to control this menace.
He was talking to the media after monitoring the cleanliness drive in the Directorate General Health offices to eradicate dengue, according to a handout issued here Sunday. He said that on the directions of the chief minister, cleanliness day was observed in government departments to check dengue breeding. He inspected the roofs of the DGHS building, took notice of dump on the roof of the building and directed immediate shifting of waste material to a safe place so that rainwater could not be accumulated which was a main source of dengue breeding. Responding to a question, he said that FIR had been launched against commercial buildings, junkyards construction sites and tyre shops on detection of dengue larva. However, district governments’ official placed stickers on the door of the houses where larva was detected in order to create moral pressure on the residence. He said that SOPs of dengue control were equally applicable on government buildings and action had also been taken against the government departments on the violation of rules. Salman Rafiq also visited Mayo Hospital and reviewed the cleanliness in the hospital. Salman Rafiq saw accumulated rainwater on roadside and directed immediate drainage of the water.
booklet: As directed by Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, a booklet was issued by Post Graduate Medical Institute and Lahore General Hospital to create awareness among masses on dengue virus and take appropriate measures. According to a press release issued here Sunday, Principal PGMI Dr Khalid Mahmood and MS Capt (r) Dr Niaz Ahmed undertook cleanliness in different sections. Literature was distributed among patients. Dr Niaz Ahmed terminated six sanitary workers who were found absent from their duties without any intimation. Moreover, inquiry was ordered against those workers found negligent in performing duties. Talking on this occasion, Prof Khalid Mahmood said dengue was more social issue than medical and every citizen should take part in curbing it. He said under the aegis of PGMI Health Education Programme, doctors had been trained on dengue eradication measures in different hospitals of the province while seminars and workshops had been held at Lahore General Hospital. He appealed to the media to highlight the steps for preventing the masses from diseases especially dengue.
visits: As part of Anti-Dengue Day announced by the Punjab government, Secretary Higher Education Department (HED) Punjab Irum Bukhari visited six public colleges of the provincial metropolis here on Sunday. Additional Secretary (Academics) Dr Shoaib Anwar, Additional Secretary (Establishment) Silwat Saeed and two deputy secretaries were also part of the HED team where the secretary HED reviewed arrangements by the respective colleges vis-à-vis the Punjab government’s anti-dengue drive. Irum Bukhari directed the administration of these colleges to strictly follow the SOPs laid regarding anti-dengue campaign. The colleges visited on Sunday included Government Islamia College Civil Lines, Government Dayal Singh College, Government Jinnah Degree College Queens Road, Islamia College Cooper Road, Queen Mary College and Govt Kulliyat-ul-Binnat College.
Meanwhile on the directions of Punjab government, the public sector colleges and universities of the provincial metropolis observed anti-dengue day and held events to create awareness in this regard.
Punjab University (PU) organised various activities against spread of dengue fever. PU Acting Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Taqi Zahid Butt, Chief Medical Officer Dr Nauman Ahmed and other administrative officers visited various places and monitored anti-dengue activities. PU anti-dengue teams carried out the insecticide spray in various parts of the university.
Similarly the Lahore College for Women University (LCWU) remained open on Sunday for staff to observe anti-dengue day. A seminar for awareness about dengue was held which was chaired by Acting Vice-Chancellor Dr Uzma Qureshi.
Punjab Education Foundation offices remained opened. Different dengue awareness banners were displayed at offices and informative literature was distributed among the staff. MD PEF Dr Aneela Salman took a round of the head office building and inspected the general condition of cleanliness. Technical Education & Vocational Training Authority (TEVTA) also observed anti-dengue day on Sunday.
efforts: A massive awareness drive was organised, in the less developed localities of the provincial metropolitan by Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC) here Sunday. Officials said the drive was organised to highlight significance of measures collectively required to be taken both by sanitation organisations and people from all spheres of life for productively combating dengue epidemic. The drive comprised of an awareness walk, setting up of camps, display and distribution of pamphlets, public briefing, door stepping and dengue spray in the locality, 27 offices of LWMC and particularly on 8,000 waste containers across the city.
Walk led by company’s chairman and adviser to chief minister Khawaja Ahmad Hassan, was attended by MD LWMC Khalid Majeed along with officials of Turkish waste management companies, both junior and senior management of LWMC. Distributing awareness pamphlets and briefing local residents, the LWMC Chairman said the Punjab government prioritised dengue eradication measures as it could wreak havoc on our people and all possible steps, including spray and awareness were being taken to combat it successfully. He said that LWMC had already launched a 20 days campaign to remove heaps of waste from open plots across the city and spraying of around 8,000 waste containers is also underway. Special cleanliness arrangements were ensured at the drive venue as a large number of people from all walks of life, including government officials, political coordinators, activists, students and social mobilisers attended the walk.