PAKISTAN: Dengue fever - news reports

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Re: PAKISTAN: Dengue fever - news reports

Source: http://thepost.com.pk/CityNewsT.aspx?dtlid=197597&catid=3

Government to utilise all resources to check outbreak of dengue

Allama Iqbal Medical College tasked with prepartion of dengue virus vaccine

Staff Reporter

LAHORE: Secretary Health Punjab Anwar Ahmad Khan has said that all resources would be utilized to check outbreak of dengue virus in the future and the government will provide maximum assistance for research and preparation of vaccine of this virus.

He was presiding over a seminar arranged by the Health Department on future strategy to control dengue virus at Allama Iqbal Medical College on Tuesday. Federal Director General Health Dr. Rasheed Jooma, DG Health Punjab Dr. Muhammad Aslam Ch, Principal AIMC Prof. Javed Akram, MS Jinnah Hospital Dr. Zahid Pervaiz, Secretary AIMCANA and APNA(USA) Prof. Sajjad Ch, Prof. Mrs. Naheed Humayun Sheikh, Prof. Arif Siddiqui, Associate Prof. of Zoology GCU Lahore Prof. Nusrat Jahan, Prof. Zafar Ch and a large number of specialist doctors attended the seminar.

Addressing the seminar, Prof. Javed Akram said that on the directions of Punjab Chief Minister, Allama Iqbal Medical College has taken up the challenge of research and preparation of vaccine of dengue virus and we will Inshallah succeed in the near future.

Specialists of different fields of medical science presented their recommendations for the control of outbreak dengue virus in future. They were of the view that during the last 25 years, dengue virus epidemic increased dramatically in the countries of South East Asia. Prof. Nusrat Jehan presented a briefing on the research being conducted in Zoology Department of GCU on virus. The experts stressed the need of checking the breeding of dengue mosquitoes. They urged that the residual anti-mosquito spray is more effective to eliminate this virus. Moreover, people should be educated to keep their surrounding neat and clean and a special awareness campaign through mass media should also be launched to achieve this goal.

 

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Re: PAKISTAN: Dengue fever - news reports

Source: http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=156613

Dengue fever due to poor policies: Shahbaz
Monday, January 12, 2009
By our correspondent

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Shahbaz Sharif has said that all resources are being used for the provision of modern health facilities to the people and that autonomy has been granted to teaching hospitals to improve their efficiency.

The CM was speaking to a delegation led by World Health Organization (EMRO) Regional Director Hussain A G on Sunday. Khalif Bile Mohamud, Dr Mohamed Halmy Wahdan, Ahmad Ali Darwish, Health Director General Prof Rasheed Jooma, the chairman of Planning and Development Dept and the health secretary were also present on the occasion.

Shahbaz said the system of performance audit of hospitals was also being adopted and highly qualified professionals were being inducted in the boards of governors of teaching hospitals for ensuring quality healthcare facilities to the people. He said the World Health Organisation (WHO), which is playing a vital role in the uplift of the health sector in Pakistan, should also extend assistance to the establishment of a state-of-the-art rehabilitation centre for disabled.

He said that the health sector was neglected in the past due to which it was in pathetic condition. He said shoddy policies resulted in the spread of dengue fever and incidents of polio in the province and the department concerned could not be exonerated. Had preventive measures been taken, such fatal diseases would not have spread.

He said that he had issued instructions for preparing a calendar for checking the outbreak of epidemics in future and had also ordered timely measures for curbing the spread of diseases. He said dialysis machines had been provided to district headquarter hospitals and some Tehsil headquarter hospitals in order to provide free medical facilities to kidney patients.