KARACHI, Feb 28: Sindh health minister, Syed Sardar Ahmed has said the government will take every step to protect the people in the province from dengue fever mosquitoes.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, he said that it should be the joint responsibility of the government and the people to protect their homes by regularly spraying insecticides.

Mr Ahmed said a vigilance committee had been constituted by the department to check reports of cases of dengue hemorrhagic fever in Sindh. All the administrative heads of public and private hospitals and health care centers have been directed to report dengue fever cases to Dr Shafqat Abbasi or Dr Shakil Mullick on phone numbers 021-9211564/ 0300-2209989 and 021-9212937 respectively.

Instructions have also been issued to all executive district health officers to start preventive campaigns from March1.

According to minister, if a dengue fever case is reported, there should be indoor residential spray of 20 to 25 houses in the vicinity of that patients house to check further transmission of disease.