PESHAWAR:
An important high-level meeting was held under the chairmanship of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi to review the dengue situation in the province, assess measures to prevent its further spread and evaluate the overall anti-dengue response.
Advisor for Health Lieutenant General (retired) Nigar Johar, the Secretary Health and other senior officials of relevant departments attended the meeting. Officials gave the Governor a detailed briefing on the latest dengue statistics, the implementation status of the anti-dengue action plan, the functioning of the reporting and surveillance system, and other steps being taken to contain the disease.
According to the briefing, a total of 3,771 dengue cases have so far been reported across the province, while two deaths have been attributed to the disease. District Kohat remains the worst-affected area, accounting for 2,319 of the confirmed cases. Officials informed the meeting that climate change, unplanned growth of urban populations, poor sanitation conditions, electricity load-shedding and several other contributing factors are facilitating the spread of dengue.
A comprehensive action plan has been prepared to combat the disease. The plan clearly assigns responsibilities to all relevant departments and district administrations. Steps are under way to further strengthen the reporting and surveillance system so that cases can be detected and monitored in a timely manner.
In parallel, an awareness campaign is being conducted with the support of concerned departments to educate the public about dengue prevention and control. To handle any emergency, isolation wards with a total capacity of 1,666 beds have been established across the province.
Governor Faisal Karim Kundi directed the Kohat district administration to take effective measures on an emergency basis to bring the outbreak under control and to keep him continuously informed of the progress. He further instructed that immediate and effective steps be taken in other affected districts as well, in close coordination with the respective district administrations.
The Governor emphasised that the resources required by district administrations for an effective anti-dengue campaign must be provided on a priority basis so that the spread of the epidemic can be checked and the public protected from its harmful effects.