‘Early diagnosis vital to Congo virus treatment’

LAHORE

Adviser to chief minister on Health Kh Salman Rafique has directed the officers concerned to ensure 100 per cent implementation of decisions taken in the Cabinet Committee meetings on dengue and Congo virus. 

He said zero period in schools to create awareness about Congo Virus should continue on the pattern of dengue so that message regarding safety measures against the virus should reach every house. 

He said this while chairing a meeting of Cabinet Committee on dengue at Civil Secretariat on Monday, according to a handout. Secretary Primary & Secondary Health Punjab, Ali Jan Khan, DG Health Dr Mukhtar Hussain Syed, DCO Lahore, Muhammad Usman, DCO Sheikhupura, Tariq Arqum, senior officers of all the departments concerned, Dean IPH, Secretary Dengue Expert Advisory Group and the officers of federal government departments in Lahore attended the meeting. Commissioners and DCOs of Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Multan, Jhelum and Attock participated in the meeting through a video link and apprised the meeting of Congo and dengue situation in their respective areas.

Medical experts were of the view that early diagnosis is essential for the treatment of Congo. The meeting directed all the hospitals to take the history of patients coming to hospitals with identical symptoms of Congo and dengue and if there is any link of the patient reported with the cattle farmers or cattle handlers, blood samples of the patient for Congo test must immediately be sent to laboratory and all SOPs of suspected Congo patient be implemented.

Directed CDC Dr Asim informed the meeting that case management training of Congo patient has been imparted to the doctors of teaching hospitals for which training sessions are being organised in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Multan and Bahawalpur. He said members of rapid response teams were also attending the training session.

Secretary Primary & Secondary Health Ali Jan Khan said local government and livestock departments have been asked to take extra ordinary measures in the cattle markets to control vector born diseases. DCO Muhammad Usman said the city district government has taken a lot of measures in the sale points of cattle markets and spray on animals is being carried. He said this exercise would continue till Eidul Azha. The meeting reviewed anti-dengue measures adopted by the departments concerned. The officers gave briefing regarding indoor and outdoor vector surveillance of dengue. It was informed meetings of Town Emergency Response Committees are being organised on regular basis. The meeting was informed that additional human resources have been provided to Lahore, Sheikhupura, Rawalpindi and Multan for intensifying the dengue surveillance activities. DG Health Dr Mukhtar Hussain Syed said sufficient quantity of chemicals used in dengue spray and fogging is available in all districts. He said enough stock of insecticides is also available in the provincial stocks. Kh Salman Rafique observed that long season of dengue is ahead, therefore, other departments should continue their struggle to control this menace in coming months.