Special Assistant to Chief Minister Punjab on Health, Khawaja Salman Rafique has expressed dissatisfaction over dengue larvae eradication reports submitted by Cantonment Board, Health Department besides other departments and directed the officers of all departments to ensure better mutual co-ordination in this regard.
He gave these directions while presiding over anti-dengue review meeting, at the Cantonment Board office on Monday and attended by Member Provincial Assembly Ramzan Siddique Bhatti, Arifa Khalid, DCO Lahore, Noor-ul-Amin Mengal, Administrator, TMO Aziz Bhatti Town, Chief Entomologist Dr Waseem Akram, representatives of Health Department, PHA, LWMC and members of Emergency Response Committee.
Rafique said that the officers, instead of sitting in their offices, should go into the field and personally monitor the anti-dengue activities being carried out. Addressing the meeting, Khawaja Salman Rafique said that the purpose of holding these high-level anti-dengue meetings, is to review steps taken to control dengue virus, at the town level, during the last two weeks, along with removing hurdles in the way of the working teams.
He said that officers of town administration, Health Department and others related departments have been made clear that identification and eradication of dengue larva is the actual work, which can go a long way in ensuring elimination of dengue mosquitoes. He directed officers to ensure spot targeted eradication of mosquitoes, during the rainy season.
He appealed to the public to assist the government administration by keeping their houses clean, from inside, outside and surroundings, during the rainy season so that dengue virus can be curtailed. He said a great deal of hard work has been made to ensure anti-dengue steps, however, as long as people do not extend their help, dengue virus cannot be controlled.
Moreover, Chairman Dengue Control Committee Nishter Town, MNA Naseer Bhutta while addressing awareness seminars at Government Girls High School Chowk Shahidoon Wala Kot Lakhpat and Government Girls College, Kahna, said that youngsters, NGOs and students should extend full co-operation to the government for eradicating dengue virus and join the ongoing awareness campaign in this regard and the government is extending every possible cooperation to the students and educational institutions for holding seminars and walks in this regard.
Bhutta said that students can inform the society about preventive steps against dengue virus in a better way and positive results have been brought out after the participation of male and female students in the campaign against dengue fever. He said that students are apprising the people about spray and precautionary measures against dengue in individual and collective communication, whereas, worth mentioning point to the people is that dengue fever is a curable disease.
Meanwhile, presiding over the town administration meeting, MNA Naseer Bhutta directed the town administration to continue the efforts to remove debris and wastage from UCs located in rural areas. He said that every person of the society has to play its due role to eliminate dengue virus as the Punjab government is utilising its all resources for this purpose. He directed the town administration to sent spray teams, regularly.