ISLAMABAD, Apr 11 (APP):Minister for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Aamer Mehmood Kiani on Thursday launched dengue awareness drive here at Tarlai to protect the citizens from this disease.
Addressing the launching ceremony, the minister said that the government would ensure making dengue-free society and its awareness campaign would help educating people about the disease.
The minister directed to plan field activities during the dengue awareness campaign. He said training of Lady Health Workers and others, was already completed to make the plan comprehensive.
The minister said as the twin cities were located in endemic zone for dengue, it was more important to be careful to avoid the disease.
He said dengue fever and dengue hemorrhagic fever were fastest emerging mosquito-board arboviral infections since 2005 in the country.
He said there have been some severe outbreaks of the dengue in some parts of the country in past years.
Although, during recent few years, the mortality ratio by this disease has been reduced significantly, however, there were still some areas which were on the risk of the dengue outbreak in the country, he added.
Initially the campaign was started with daily activities from Tarnol while later Bara Khau and Rawat would be included in the campaign.
The ministry has deputed three Lady Health Supervisors in each area along with respective area Lady Health Workers.
Meanwhile the ministry has issued directives to all the Sanitary Inspectors and Malaria Inspectors to ensure their assistance in this regard.
As per plan, the lady health workers would go door to door for identifying active mosquito breeding sites and destroying them manually and with the use of chemical through placing tempos one percent granules that breaks mosquito life cycle.
The lady health workers have been asked to demonstrate their skills of communication and social mobilization for educating the community about how to prevent themselves from the bite of the dengue mosquitoes and cover the body with full clothing, motivating the community to close the small openings in the underground and overhead tanks inside houses, install screens in windows and doors, not to keep trash or garbage inside or outside homes and removing it swiftly from the surroundings.
They will educate the public to keep cover all the water pots, containers etc. so that to dengue female mosquito may not lay its eggs in the stagnant open water.
The Ministry also prepared banners, posters and stickers to display them on streets, bazars, schools, offices and other public places to make maximum people aware about the precautionary measures to avoid this hazard disease.