KARACHI: Sindh Minister for Health Dr Sikandar Ali Mandhro taking strong exception to the reported surge in malaria and dengue fever cases has directed the officials concerned to ensure twice-a-day fumigation in the concerned areas and to also take on board the residents about measures being adopted against mosquito-borne ailments.
In a meeting here on Tuesday, with Sindh Malaria Control Program Director Dr Naheed Jamali and Sindh Dengue Control Program Director Dr Abdul Rashid, the minister said that people must be made to understand that Malaria is caused by mosquitoes that grow in filthy water. He added that these breeding points are peculiar to rural areas as well as urban slums, while dengue is an ailment which is largely prevalent in urban centres and is a consequence of a mosquito bite that breeds in clean water.
The minister further said that the government cannot be absolved of its responsibilities in providing a healthy environment to the masses, however, he added that simple and cost-effective preventive measures adopted by people themselves can significantly reduce their misery.
“Proper care to get dried puddles of standing water or sprinkling mobil oil/kerosene oil over stagnant water, creating a file, can prevent breeding of malaria-causing mosquitoes,” Dr Mandhro said. “Keeping containers or tanks to store clean water properly covered can help avoid dengue-causing mosquitoes,” he elaborated and urged the officials to gain public confidence and get them involved in the campaign against the two diseases.
He also urged the officials concerned to arrange prompt distribution of mosquito nets in the areas reporting varied categories of mosquito-borne infections, along with a regular spray of insecticides and direct involvement of affected communities in the prevention of the ailments.
The health minister also directed the two officials to dispatch doctors’ teams at the areas registered with an unusual increase in the relevant ailments, to collect blood samples besides ascertaining factors that may not be prevalent under normal circumstances. This, he said was important as a change in the environmental conditions holds a direct impact on the virus, demanding preemptive measures to curtail any possible severity.
Dr Naheed Jamali informed the minister that mosquito nets have been distributed among the residents of Kot Ghulam Mohammad in Mirpurkhas and those of Jharwar village in Tando Allahyar. Dr Abdul Rasheed said that special measures have been adopted to fumigate patients’ residence and the surroundings with due safety measures to curtail further spread of the ailment.
“Equal attention is also being paid to public support and cooperation for control and prevention of dengue,” he said mentioning that land and aerial spray against dengue-causing mosquito is a routine in all the high-risk areas.
