23 May 2004	Sunday	03 Rabi-us-Saani 1425

PESHAWAR, May 22: The health department is yet to initiate preventive measures against dengue fever in the Haripur district despite the chief minister's directives in this regard, sources said.

Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani had directed the director- general health services after the Haripur district coordination officer sent him a letter about the prevalence of dengue fever in the area, requesting financial and medical assistance to stop what he termed the possibility of the disease's outbreak.

The chief minister directed the health service director- general to analyze the situation and submit a report, enabling the government to extend assistance against the disease.

These directives had fallen on deaf ears and there was every possibility of the disease's resurgence, officials said.

Officials said the health department had sent the same letter to the World Health Organisation, which had conducted extensive research on the disease in 2003 in the area.

The mosquitoes' breeding season has started and the WHO had expressed the fear last year that the disease would re-emerge if preventive measures were not adopted, they said.

Dengue fever, they reminded, is reported to have killed an army cadet while another was admitted to the Rawalpindi Combined Military Hospital on Sept 7, 2003.

In 2003, seven deaths had been caused by the disease, they added.

According to the WHO's emergency medical officer, Dr Quaid Saeed, both vector and parasite causing dengue fever were known to exist in the area.

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