Measures stressed to cope with dengue threat

LAHORE

Adviser to chief minister on Health Khawaja Salman Rafiq has directed the departments concerned to accelerate their anti-dengue activities and take special measures to cope with the dengue threat in Rawalpindi. 

He directed that indoor and outdoor dengue surveillance must be enhanced in Rawalpindi. He observed that monsoon rains may become a source of increasing dengue breeding. He stated this while presiding over a Cabinet Committee Meeting on Dengue at Civil Secretariat, according to a handout issued on Monday. In charge Chief Minister’s Dengue Research Cell Prof Wasim Akram said 10mm rain is a point of concern sufficient for creating dengue hotspots. He stressed the need of special arrangements from Solid Waste Management and Wasa authorities in the metropolitan cities like Lahore, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Faisalabad and Multan to check the spread of dengue.

On the pointing out the gaps at the operation al level by the Punjab Information Technology Board and Special Branch, Kh Salman Rafiq directed the departments concerned to remove the gray areas in their working. He directed that special focus should be given on the dengue surveillance activities in graveyards, construction sites and in the junkyards. He said anti-dengue activities are being carried out for the last many years and everyone is very familiar to the anti-dengue measures. Therefore, time has come to adopt strict policy in this regard. He said FIR must be launched against the responsible persons in case of dengue larvae reported from any commercial site. He said culprits who are endangering the human lives should be arrested. On the proposal of Secretary Primary & Secondary Health Ali Jan Khan, the Adviser directed the Dengue Experts Advisory Group to send a team of health specialists to Rawalpindi to review the dengue situation and providing guidance to the local experts. He directed that DG Health Dr Mukhtar Hussain Syed should also visit Rawalpindi along with the team. Kh Salman Rafiq directed the officers for making appropriate arrangements for the treatment of dengue patients in hospitals. All the officers briefed the meeting regarding the steps taken by their departments for dengue control.