MUHAMMAD SALEEM

LAHORE: The Punjab held an ‘Anti-Dengue Day’ on Thursday with a pledge to continue efforts to cope with this problem through community participation.

To mark the day, walks and seminars took place to create public awareness while putting up banners displaying preventive measures.

Activities will carry out the event till August 5 Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif is monitoring the activities of government departments and institutions.

Those also taking part in the walk were Advisor to Chief Minister on Health Khawaja Salman Rafique too led an anti- dengue awareness walk arranged by the Health Department to mark the day.

Punjab Nursing Director General Rukhsana Kamaal, Dengue Control Additional Director General Doctor Islam Zafar, Public Health Director Doctor Farrukh Sultan, department officials, paramedics and nursing students.

This walk began from the office of the Directorate General Health Services to the Punjab Assembly Chowk.

In his talk with the media, Advisor Rafique said, “Dengue is a health as well as a social problem. So, the enthusiastic participation of the community in the preventive and control activities is essential. The main objective of observing the day in the Punjab is to remind people of this problem.”

He also urged the public to dispose of discarded articles, plastic bottles and old tyres to check the breeding of dengue mosquitoes’. “Although the number of confirmed dengue patients in the Punjab is only 10 out of which four patients are locally infected, but the dengue larvae is being reported by surveillance teams in a large scale and because of heavy rains the chances of dengue breeding have been increased,” he added.

He also said Lahore, Sheikhupura, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi and Multan were the sensitive districts. “Government departments are vigorously conducting out-door-and-indoor dengue surveillance in all the sensitive areas but keeping houses clean is the prime responsibility of residents.”