Health Secretary Arif Nadeem on Saturday directed that surveillance activities be accelerated to check dengue mosquito breeding and targetted indoor sprays be carried out in towns where dengue larvae had been reported.
He gave these directions while chairing a meeting of the Technical Advisory Committee on Dengue at his office. Experts informed the meeting that as the situation was normal, there was no need yet to start thermal fogging for dengue control. They said mechanical methods should be applied for larvae killing and a targetted indoor spray strategy be adopted for dengue check.
The health secretary directed the city district government to immediately start indoor targetted sprays in Samanabad, Shalamar, Ravi and Wagha Towns from where the dengue larvae had been reported. He said government buildings and public schools should also be sprayed. He directed that teaching hospitals should be inspected to review arrangements. He also directed that revised guidelines by the Dengue Experts Advisory Group (DEAG) be circulated immediately in teaching hospitals. The meeting also decided to begin implementing an action plan for research on dengue mosquito.
Additional Health Secretary (Tech) Dr Anwar Janjua, Health Director General Dr Nisar Ahmad Cheema, Children Hospital Dean Prof Dr Tahir Masood, SIMS Principal Prof Dr Hamid Butt, IPH Dean Prof Dr Muaz Ahmad, Mayo Hospital MS Dr Zahid Pervaiz, SH MS Dr Rehana Malik, LGH MS Dr Muhammad Hassan, Health EDO Dr Inamul Haq, Rawalpindi Health EDO Zafar Gondal, Sheikhupura Health EDO Rafique Khan, Faisalabad Health EDO Abdul Rauf, Nankana Sahib Health EDO Mushtaq and Multan Health EDO Iftikhar Qureshi attended the meeting.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 24th, 2013.