PESHAWAR, April 12: NWFP Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani has directed the health department to take measures for the prevention of dengue fever in Haripur district, officials said.

The chief minister's directives came after the Haripur district coordination officer sent him a letter regarding the prevalence of dengue fever in the area and requested financial and medical assistance to stop an outbreak of the epidemic.

The chief minister directed the health service director-general to analyze the situation and submit a report, so that assistance could be extended for preventive measures against the disease in the area.

Officials said the letter had been sent to the World Health Organization, which had conducted extensive research on the disease last year. "The mosquitoes' breeding season has started and the WHO expressed the fear last year that the disease would re-emerge if preventive measures weren't adopted," said an official.

Officials said dengue fever had killed an army cadet and another one had been sent to the Rawalpindi Combined Military Hospital on Sept 7, 2003. An army contingent had camped in the Pind Mohri village for an exercise for three days. Later about 15 soldiers developed high fever, of whom two were found suffering from dengue fever and three were borderline cases.

Last year, seven deaths caused by the disease were confirmed, they said. According to the WHO's emergency medical officer here, Dr Quaid Saeed, the both vector and parasite causing dengue fever were known to exist in the area.

The mission's report, quoting a local medical specialist, said he had received patients of high fever from Niloor, Dingi and Balila areas. Dr Saeed said the WHO had planned to work in collaboration with the provincial health department and other agencies to create awareness about the disease.

He said the organization had held meetings with representatives of the Save the Children Fund, the Sarhad Rural Support Programme, the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in this regard.

The strategy included selective vector control, identification of breeding sites and application of the available methods of control, said Dr Saeed. The world health body, he said, had recommended reduction in the potential breeding sites of mosquitoes by improving the supply of drinking water and launching a campaign for the disposal ofsolid waste in the region.

He said the WHO had warned the health department to take preventive measures against the disease.