People should play role for the eradication of dengue:Farkhanda Kokab

Lahore: Advisor to Punjab Chief Minister on Health Kh. Salman Rafique has directed all the concerned departments and institutions to continue vigorous dengue surveillance activities and people should also remove hot spots of dengue breeding from their houses. He said that red sticker would be pasted on the house in case of dengue larva found.

He said this while presiding over a cabinet committee meeting on dengue eradication here on Tuesday. Besides, Parliamentary Secretary Health Punjab Kh. Imran Nazir, elected representatives Majid Zahoor, Pir Ashraf, Kiran Dar and Begam Meraj Billey, Secretary Health, Secretary Environment, Secretary Forestry, Secretary Auqaf and Additional Secretaries of different departments, DCOs Lahore and Faisalabad and EDOs Health attended the meeting.

It was informed that outdoor and indoor dengue surveillance activities and awareness seminars are being carried out in Lahore, Sheikhupura, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala and other sensitive districts and as a result of these activities so far dengue larva is being detected in low quantity.

However, anti dengue activities are being conducted according to the dengue action plan. Kh. Salman Rafique directed that dengue counters and dengue wards should be made functional in the hospitals to combat any situation. Epidemiologist of Institute of Public Health Farkhanda Kokab made observation that it was off dengue season and during this period dengue larva would be detected in low quantity and dengue patients would also be reported in low number. But in coming monsoon season the occurrence of dengue larva would be increased many times and all the concerned departments have to prepare themselves to combat the situation.

Secretary Health Dr. Ijaz Munir, DCO Lahore Dr. Ahmed Javed Qazi, DCO Faisalabad Noor ul Amin Mengal, Secretary Forests, Environment, Auqaf, Schools and Higher Education Departments and the officers of Social Welfare Department, Police, Punjab Information Technology Board and Special Branch briefed the meeting regarding the activities of their department for dengue control.

Kh. Imran Nazir proposed that registration of junkyards must be carried-out and without shed permission should not be granted for setting up a junkyard. He said that during rainy season these junkyards become a major source of dengue breeding.

Kh. Salman Rafique agreed with this proposal and directed Secretary Environment to start registration of junkyards. He directed that FIR should be launched against the owners of commercial buildings, construction sites and junkyards in case of larva detection. He said that people should play their due role for the eradication of dengue so that this problem should not resurface during the rainy season.