PESHAWAR: Malakand Deputy Commissioner Salman Khan Lodhi on Thursday directed all the concerned departments to chalk out a comprehensive mechanism for controlling of a possible outbreak of dengue virus during upcoming monsoon.
Presiding over a high-level meeting regarding arrangements being made for tackling of dengue during upcoming monsoon, the Malakand deputy commissioner said that a special strategy should be adopted to keep people’s safe from dengue epidemic besides ensuring its control in low lying and vulnerable areas.
The local government and public health engineering department were asked to ensure continuous water supply to high-risk areas to avoid water storage practice which may lead to breeding of Aedes mosquito responsible for the spread of dengue and chikungunya fever.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), especially in Peshawar, around 70 people died due to dengue fever and over 24,000 people tested positive for carrying the virus between July and October 2017.
The DC said that special focus should be made on the cleanliness of water drainage system, covering of ponds of all standing water and conducting of fumigation spray in the vulnerable areas.
Lodhi warned of taking strict disciplinary action against officials found negligence in duty under the law and would not be spared.
Training was also arranged for village secretaries and malaria control programme officials on this occasion.
Malakand district health officer, officials of health department, tehsil nazim and others concerned attended the meeting.
