Islamabad is Dengue free so far: CDA

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The Capital Development Authority (CDA)’s Health Services Directorate examined as many as 300 random breeding samples from high risk areas of the capital and did not find any dengue traces so far.

“We have already completed the two phases of the anti-dengue drive and are currently conducting the third and fourth phase to make the city dengue free,” said a top CDA official.

During this drive larvicides are being added in nullahs, ponds and other larval habitats. Breeding samples of mosquitoes are being collected to identify the harmful varieties.

CDA Health Services Director Doctor Hasan Orooj appealed to the residents to discard drums, vases, buckets, earthen jars, spare tyres, water jars, ant traps, coconut shells, tins, bottles, discarded boxes and other water containers because these were good breeding grounds for Dengue mosquitoes.

Further, Orooj said that the climate was changing, and the temperature and humidity were creating favourable conditions for mosquitoes to emerge. He advised the public to install wire gauze on their doors and windows.

Moreover, solid waste would also be removed from various city areas to control Dengue mosquito breeding.

The health services director said that in lieu of the lessons learnt in 2011 and 2012, the health directorate had aligned its strategy with the latest requirements and practices which call for eradicating Dengue larva and eggs. Moreover, spraying and fumigation should be bear in mind the temperature, humidity and environmental conditions.

The CDA Health Directorate designed a four phase anti-dengue campaign. The first is larval habitats mapping, second, source reduction, third, fumigation in high risk areas and fourth, use of larvicides.