Call for effective steps against dengue

LAHORE

Punjab Minister for Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education Khawaja Salman Rafiq has directed that all departments concerned should take effective measures to control dengue as well as chikungunya virus in Punjab. 

He directed that intensive dengue surveillance was needed for effective control on both diseases. He said that though chikungunya was not a fatal disease and the vector of dengue and chikungunya was the same mosquito.  Salman Rafiq directed that secretaries, senior officers of the departments should ensure their presence in the Cabinet Committee on Dengue for taking immediate decisions.

He stated this while presiding over a meeting of Cabinet Committee on Dengue at Civil Secretariat on Monday, according to a handout. Besides, Members Punjab Assembly Lubna Faisal and Pir Ashraf Rasool, Secretary P&S Health Ali Jan Khan, Special Secretary Health Dr. Faisal Zahoor, ex-VC KEMU Prof. Faisal Masood and officers from all the concerned departments were present in the meeting. Deputy Commissioners and CEOs of District Health Authorities of Rawalpindi, Gunranwala, Faisalabad, Multan, Kasur, Sheikhupura, Jhang, Attock, Rahim Yar Khan, Chakwal and Sargodha also participated in the meeting through video link and shared the measures taken for dengue control in their respective districts.

Addl. Director General Dengue Control Dr. Farrukh Sultan briefed the meeting regarding the dengue situation in the province. It was informed that dengue larvae was being reported during indoor and outdoor surveillance. Secretary Dengue Experts Advisory Group Dr. Somia Iqtidar said that refresher courses regarding the case management for the doctors and nurses of public sector as well as private hospitals have been conducted. She said that refresher courses for new doctors were also being arranged at district level by DEAG.

Secretary Health Ali Jan Khan said that additional staff including entomologists would be provided to high-risk districts. He said that there was no ban on the recruitment on the sanctioned posts and CEO of District Health Authority was authorised to hire the services of the staff against the vacant posts.

Head of CM Dengue Research Cell Prof. Dr. Wasim Akram said that since a large number of chikungunya patients had been reported in Karachi, therefore, strong possibility was there that the patients may be reported in Punjab also. He explained that the aedes aegypti mosquito is the same vector of spreading of dengue and chikungunya virus.

Prof. Faisal Masood said that where was dengue there was chikungunya. However, the disease is not lethal but joint pains and high fever create a lot of problems for the patients.

Salman Rafiq directed to constitute a technical working group to evaluate the requirements and tests kits for conducting diagnostic tests for chikungunya. He directed to launch vigorous awareness campaign against both diseases. He directed that foolproof arrangements also be made in the hospitals for the treatment of dengue patients.

Tevta: Twenty teachers of Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (Tevta) left for China to get two-month training. They will get training in textile engineering.

It was stated by Tevta Chairperson Irfan Qaiser Sheikh while addressing the officers here at Tevta secretariat.

Chief Operating Officer Jawad Ahmed Qureshi, Tevta officers Akhtar Abbas Bharwana, Aamir Aziz, Azhar Iqbal Shad, Hamid Ghani Anjum, Rao Rashid, Mustafa Kamal Pasha, Maqsood Ahmed, Aisha Qazi, Uzma Nadia, Sarfraz Anwar and other officers were present.

Irfan Qaiser Sheikh said these teachers were selected by a six-member committee, constituted by the Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, including Tevta Chairperson Irfan Qaiser Sheikh, Chief Operating Officer, Faisalabad Industrial Estate Development & Management Company Aamir Saleemi, DG Punjab Board of Invested and Trade Mudassar Tipu, Punjab Industrial State Development Chief Executive Officer Iftikhar Hussain, Member Quality Assurance Assessment Programme Javaid Iqbal Bhatti and Tevta Chief Operating Officer Jawad Ahmed Qureshi. This committee finally selected 20 out of short-listed 50 Tevta teachers.

Irfan Qaiser Sheikh said that selected Tevta teachers were Ahmed Ali, Saima Ejaz, Sajid Noureen, Zobia Bano, Jawad Ali Hashmi, Muhammad Asif, Syed Waqar Hussain Shah, Javaid Iqbal, Qaiser Mehmood, Qaiser Sultana, Muhammad Hassan Rafay, Abdur Rehman, Samreen Sahir, Sabeen Altaf, Rakhshanda, Rozina Iqbal, Gulnaz Anwar, Abida Khalid, Kahkashan Tabassum and Zakia Sharif. After being trained in the trades, these teachers will train our Tevta teachers.