Secretary Health issues alert for dengue

Lahore: Secretary Health Punjab Hassan Iqbal has said that due to clinical management by the doctors and best treatment facilities for dengue patients in government hospitals , no death occurred due to dengue during current year in Punjab. He said that in view of the increasing number of dengue patients in Swat, other areas of KPK and Karachi, government departments and agencies will have to remain alert for eradication of dengue.

He said this while giving a briefing to the meeting of Cabinet Committee held to review the steps taken for eradication of dengue at Civil Secretariat Committee Room, today. Members Provincial Assembly Nawaz Chohan, Ch. Akram, Kiran Imran Dar and Dr. Farzana Nazir besides Secretaries of government departments, Additional Secretaries, Additional Commissioner Lahore and officers of Special Branch and PITB attended the meeting.

Secretary Health told that 671 confirmed dengue patients have been reported in Punjab so far. However, 52 patients are under treatment in various hospitals at present and their condition is satisfactory. He said that no dengue patient is admitted in HDU. He told that 9000 dengue patients in KPK and 2600 dengue patients in Sindh have been reported and 35 and 14 deaths have occurred due to dengue respectively.

Hassan Iqbal told that increase in the number of dengue patients in KPK is affecting Rawalpindi and its adjoining areas as due to the traveling of the people to these areas, the dengue virus is increasing. He said that due to increase in temperature and hot and humid weather due to rains, the breeding of dengue is increasing. However, due to hard working of the government departments and the concrete and practicable steps, the situation is under control. He said that the special measures regarding eradication of dengue have been taken in Rawalpindi and additional staff is working for dengue surveillance and destroying larvae. He said that awareness campaign is also continuing.

Senior officers of Labour, Local Government, Cooperative, Irrigation, Agriculture, Housing & Urban Development, Social Welfare, Auqaf and Environment departments and Commissioner Lahore Division gave briefings about the steps taken for the eradication of dengue in Lahore, Nankana, Kasur and Sheikhupura.

Additional IG Special Branch and officers of PITB informed about the activities for controlling dengue and identified the problems. The meeting decided that the steps regarding anti-dengue by various government departments and districts governments will continue without any break.