Daily Times

LAHORE: The spread of dengue is under control in the provincial capital due to effective larvae-cidal activities and better surveillance in all nine towns of Lahore, except the Defence Housing Authority (DHA), where 100 suspected patients of dengue fever have been identified, out of which 42 patients have been confirmed.

This was informed during a videoconference on dengue review, which was held at Civil Secretariat under the chair of Khawaja Salman Raffique on Tuesday. Punjab Additional Chief Secretary Shamail Ahmad Khawaja was the co-chairman of the conference, which was also attended by Rawalpindi Commissioner Azmat Ali along with other administrative officers and executive district officers.

District Coordination Officer (DCO) Capt (r) Muhammad Usman Yunis on the occasion briefed about the latest extent of dengue and management of patients in Lahore. The DCO warned that this year, vector mosquitoes are contaminated with dengue type-I virus while last year Dengue type-II virus
was prevalent.

“The population of Lahore has ‘zero immunity’ against this species of dengue virus, so patients are more vulnerable to become victims of hemorrhagic dengue fever if they were exposed to dengue type-II virus last year,” he added.

Additional Chief Secretary Shamail Ahmad Khawaja directed the district administration to focus on DHA and adjoining areas of Aziz Bhatti Town, Nishter Town and Gulberg Town for proper management of dengue patients, so that the situation may not worsen in the days to come.

Advisor to Chief Minister Punjab on Health Khawaja Salman Raffique directed the administration of Lahore and Rawalpindi to invigorate the distribution of pamphlets and informative literature regarding preventive measures against dengue among attendants and general masses in the hospitals in order to create awareness about importance of cleanliness, sanitation and hygienic conditions.

He said the objective of this move is to ensure active participation of masses in the drive to curb dengue, stopping it to become an epidemic. The advisor claimed that Punjab Health Department has made comprehensive arrangements for treatment of dengue patients in all the government hospitals of the province and has directed to spray on daily basis in all the wards, residential colonies and hostels of the government sector hospitals.