Dengue returns as 7-year old becomes first victim

Health Secretary Capt (R) Arif Nadeem has directed the officers of the department to escalate the pace of implementation on the steps being taken for eradication of dengue mosquitoes at a time when the first victim of dengue has appeared in the provincial metropolitan on Wednesday.
As per details, seven year old Maryam has become the first victim of the year as the government claims to have done its best to cope with dengue. The secretary said that public awareness campaign launched through the print and electronic media should be carried out in an effective manner to motivate the general public for participation in this campaign.
He said this while presiding over a weekly meeting to review the performance and implementation on the steps already taken for dengue control in his office, here today. Health Addl Secretary (Tech)Dr Anwar Janjua, Director General Health Punjab Dr Nisar Ahmad Cheema, senior officers of health and other concerned departments and professors of different teaching hospitals also attended the meeting. The Health Secretary directed the department that the public awareness campaign should be made more attractive and effective so that masses could be motivated to actively participate in the anti-dengue campaign. He reiterated that dengue could only be controlled through full participation of the community in the preventive campaign. He directed all the divisional directors health to make high dependency units in their concerned teaching as well as district hospitals functional to provide best treatment facilities to the dengue patients in case of any outbreak.