Punjab Government fears Dengue threat

Lahore:Punjab Chief Minister, Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif has directed all the concerned departments to complete their arrangements and remain fully alert to cope with any possible outbreak of dengue. He said that due to heavy rains there is a need to remain more careful about dengue and the process of indoor and outdoor dengue vector surveillance should be further accelerated. While giving approval in principle to the daily allowance to lady health workers for indoor surveillance in the provincial metropolis, he said that there services should be fully utilized for vector surveillance in the houses. He directed that the concerned departments should work collectively for draining the water from those areas where it is still accumulated and it should be dried at the earliest.

He was presiding over a high level meeting to review the arrangements for meeting the threat of dengue, here today. Advisors Khawaja Salman Rafique, Zaeem Hussain Qadri, Members Provincial Assembly, Secretaries of various departments, heads of development agencies, principals of teaching hospitals, Commissioner and DCO Lahore and experts attended the meeting. Heads of various departments and institutions gave detailed briefing with regard to the steps taken for controlling the possible virus of dengue.

Addressing the meeting Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif stressed that a vigorous campaign should be launched for creating awareness about protective measures against dengue. He urged upon the Ulema to highlight the importance of cleanliness and preventive measures in this regard during their sermons.