Punjab Health Officials Step Up Dengue Prevention Efforts Amid Increased Risk After Rainfall
Punjab health authorities have ramped up efforts to control the spread of dengue following recent rainfall, with provincial health ministers Khawaja Salman Rafique and Khawaja Imran Nazir overseeing a high-level meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Infectious Diseases and Disaster Management. The meeting, attended by Secretary Health and Population Nadia Saqib, commissioners, deputy commissioners, chief executive officers, and medical experts via video link, reviewed the latest dengue situation across the province and assessed the effectiveness of ongoing control measures.
Officials discussed the current preventive actions and evaluated the implementation of orders given in previous committee meetings. Provincial Health and Population Minister Khawaja Imran Nazir instructed officers to visit Jhang immediately and directed the Chief Executive Officer of Health and the Deputy Commissioner of Rawalpindi to stay in close coordination with the Islamabad administration. He emphasized that emergency preventive steps are ongoing following the recent rains, and stressed that Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has ordered strict monitoring of the situation throughout Punjab.
Khawaja Salman Rafique highlighted the importance of comprehensive participation by all relevant departments, stating that a coordinated effort is essential to combat dengue. He called for special surveillance of scrap yards and graveyards within district limits to eliminate potential mosquito breeding sites. The committee also reviewed monitoring efforts of anti-dengue activities in high-risk districts, noting the need for increased diligence in these areas during the current season.
Additionally, officials urged that construction sites must not allow water to accumulate, which can serve as breeding grounds for mosquitoes. Khawaja Imran Nazir called on commissioners and deputy commissioners to personally oversee anti-dengue campaigns and enforce preventive measures to protect public health.
