Depts asked to step up dengue control efforts

LAHORE
Punjab Additional Chief Secretary Syed Mubashar Raza has said no slackness in anti-dengue activities from any government department would be tolerated.
Mubashar Raza directed the commissioners, DCOs and the other officers to accelerate dengue control activities in their jurisdiction. He directed Health DG Dr Zahid Pervaiz to evolve a foolproof mechanism and coordinate with general practitioners and private doctors for obtaining a complete data of dengue suspected and confirmed patients. He said all the departments should accelerate dengue control activities and Higher Education Department should also increase its anti-dengue activities in Rawalpindi.
He said this while presiding over a meeting of Cabinet Committee on Dengue at Civil Secretariat on Monday. MPAs Pir Ashraf Rasool and Lubna Faisal, senior officers of the departments concerned, Health DG, commissioners Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad and Gujranwala, DCOs Lahore and Sheikhupura, In charge Chief Minister’s Dengue Research Cell, officers of PITB, Meteorological Department, Special Branch and other agencies attended the meeting.
Additional Director General Dengue Control Dr Islam Zafar presented a review of the dengue situation in Punjab. He said after recent monsoon, peak dengue season started. He disclosed that during current year, 12 confirmed dengue patients have so far been reported in Punjab whereas in Sindh province more than 840, in Balochistan 34 and few dengue patients have been reported in KPK. Dr Islam Zafar informed that he coordinated with the DIG Motorway Police on the issue of throwing empty plastic bottles and other articles on the sides of motorway by travellers which could become breeding spots for dengue.
Lahore DCO Muhammad Usman informed that strict dengue surveillance was being conducted in Lahore due to which dengue larva was being detected from the houses in a large numbers. However, according to the analysis reports of Institute of Public Health, the reported dengue larva was not infected and reports are negative, he said. All the commissioners and other officers informed the meeting about the progress of anti-dengue measures, indoor and outdoor dengue surveillance, monitoring of graveyards, junkyards, tyres shops and other sensitive places by their departments. Sheikhupura DCO asked for a refresher course for dengue staff of Sheikhupura by Punjab Information Technology Board.
The officers of PITB and Special Branch presented a report regarding the anti-dengue activities by the various departments and pointed out gray areas in this regard. The additional chief secretary directed to issue displeasure letters to the officers of those districts where performance was not up to the mark. He directed that all the departments should ensure 100 per cent implementation on the SOPs of dengue control.