The Punjab government is apparently going to remain on its toes to cope with the deadly dengue fever this monsoon in light of three new cases that have surfaced in the provincial metropolis, Pakistan Today has learnt.
The fresh cases increased the dengue-toll to 27. According to details, Shadbagh’s 18-year-old Shahroz, Ferozewala’s 15-year-old Anum and Ravi Road’s 16-year-old Maham were admitted to the Mayo Hospital after contracting the virus.
Chief Secretary Javed Aslam said that due to the personal interest of Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and the effective steps taken by various government departments, the dengue situation remained under control but the departments concerned needed to continue their vigorous efforts for sustaining the virus’s control in the future. He said that an Anti-Dengue Day would be observed in Punjab on Sunday (today).
He stated this on Saturday while presiding over a high-level meeting to review the dengue control measures taken by the different government departments. Additional Chief Secretary Sohail Amir Mirza, Health Secretary Hassan Iqbal, Information and Culture Secretary Momin Agha, Agriculture, Environment, Local Government, Higher Education, School Education, Auqaf, Forest and Fisheries, Housing, Transport, Labour, Social Welfare, Cooperative and Irrigation Department Representatives also attended the meeting.
Aslam said that besides government departments, every citizen was responsible for keeping their houses clean and for removing all solid waste and for draining out the water from their premises to prevent dengue breeding.
Health Secretary Hassan Iqbal said that his department’s teams were busy in vector surveillance and larviciding activities to detect and eliminate larva by mechanical methods.
Furthermore, he revealed that all the arrangements for the diagnosis and treatment of dengue patients had been completed in government hospitals where the High Dependency Units (HDU)’s had also been made functional. He informed that 27 confirmed dengue patients had been reported so far.
The Agriculture Secretary informed the meeting that his department had been working as a third party for the validation of the Health department’s vector surveillance and larviciding activities.
The Local Government Secretary informed the meeting’s attendants that his department was monitoring junkyards, tire-shops, graveyards, nurseries and constructional sites with a view to eliminate potential dengue larva breeding sites.
He said that numerous FIR’s had been lodged against the proprietors of various buildings and many premises from where dengue larva was detected had been sealed.
The Auqaf department’s Secretary added that during the weekly Friday prayers, ‘Khateebs’ of Auqaf mosques were sensitising the attendants regarding dengue in Friday sermons, adding that permanent arrangements had also been made for cleanliness purposes and for removing stagnant water from various shrines.
All the participating officers briefed the meeting regarding the steps taken for dengue’s eradication and to observe August 18 as the Anti-Dengue Day.
Aslam directed the authorites concerned to immediately nominate one provincial secretary for each Town Emergency Response Committee (TERC) to ensure regular meetings and other anti-dengue related activities. He added that these secretaries should also keep a liaison with the elected representatives of their towns, respectively.