The anti-dengue drive, initiated by the district administration, is in full swing under which surveillance is being carried out at various points in the provincial capital.
No death due to dengue occurred in the province during the last 24 hours and the news aired by media is completely baseless that two patients died of dengue virus, health officials briefed the Chief Secretary during a meeting on Friday. The meeting presided over by Chief Secretary Punjab Zahid Akhtar Zaman reviewed the situation of dengue in the high-risk districts. The Chief Secretary ordered the authorities to speed up anti-dengue activities in Gujranwala and mobilize the field staff.
He said that hospitals should have ample stock of medicines for dengue patients. The officials of the Health department gave a detailed briefing at the meeting. They said that the anti-dengue activities are going on throughout the province. So far this year, 7,147 confirmed cases of dengue and four deaths have been reported.
In this regard, Lahore Deputy Commissioner Rafia Haider visited Union Council (UC) 10 Ravi Zone on Friday, where she inspected anti-dengue arrangements and instructed house owners about dengue preventive measures. The Deputy Commissioner reviewed the case response in the houses of dengue patients and nearby area. She inquired about the field teams response from the local people and expressed her strong displeasure over presence of waste in a large quantity in empty plots. After assessed the situation, she directed the Lahore Waste and Management Company (LWMC) to clear the area and ensure zero waste policy in the area. The health authorities were also directed to conduct anti-dengue spray in hotspot areas to protect citizens from dengue fever. The DC inspected houses and commercial markets of the area and assessed dengue larvae elimination process. She also checked the attendance and performance of the anti-dengue squad in the area. Similarly, Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) Zeeshan Ranjha visited DHA Phase-VIII to inspect anti-dengue arrangements at under-construction commercial buildings. He also assessed dengue surveillance and door marking in the area and issued warnings to various property owners over larvae presence. He directed the dengue teams deputed in the area to gear up pace of anti-dengue spray process. Assistant Commissioner Model Town Sahibzada Yousaf reviewed dengue surveillance at UC-99 Nasirabad and got sprayed at least six house over dengue larvae presences. All other assistant commissioners also conducted inspection visits in their jurisdictions and monitored the anti-dengue arrangements besides monitoring the fumigation process. Around 100 dengue patients were reported in the provincial capital during the last 24 hours while larvae were found at 1,351 points. DC Rafia Haider has appealed to the citizens to keep their surroundings clean and fresh to avoid dengue fever. They said that special attention is being paid to surveillance and monitoring in high-risk districts and according to the data.
