KARACHI, March 6: Health officials of the provincial and district governments have vowed to continue their intensive efforts made last year to fight dengue.
At a meeting they also considered the shortcomings at district levels, but expressed the hope that the mosquito-afflicted disease would be eliminated in three to five years time from the province.
Sindh health department convened the meeting on Tuesday to review the preparedness at its level and that on the part of the district governments, particularly those of Karachi and Hyderabad.
Sindh Health Secretary Dr Naushad A. Shaikh, who chaired the meeting, pointed out that the good works of last years should further be undertaken and quarters should ensure that the number of dengue cases reduced to half of what was reported last year.
The meeting was informed that after a dengue epidemic in 2006, about 4,767 suspected cases were reported at various hospitals in the province, out of which 1,600 were confirmed dengue positive. As many as 54 people, including 50 from Karachi, lost their lives due to the disease and other relevant complications.
While taking stock of the situation, fogging and fumigation was held as the prime measure against ‘Aedes Aegypti’, the mosquito responsible for the spread of dengue virus.
However, a number of EDOs informed the chair that their districts either had no fogging machines or were in possession of very few, including the out-of-order machines. There was also a concern over the fact that the insecticides used by districts, including Karachi city district, were not of the correct kind and health officials should be advised about chemicals which would prove effective against the Aedes Aegypti.
Excepting Karachi and a couple of other districts, there were no facilities to diagnose patients suspected of dengue disease at other parts of the province. It was noted that diagnostic and treatment facilities were available alone in Karachi but it would not be viable for them to send the patients or their blood samples for test to Karachi and as such arrangements should be made at all districts of the province.
Special Secretary, Public Health, Dr Abdul Majid, told the health officers that diagnosis and treatment should be undertaken by district authorities in the nearby civil and teaching hospitals, which were capable to handle the situation.
It was also resolved in the meeting that arrangements for training doctors and staff from each district with regards to dengue would be made at the Civil Hospital Karachi and Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplant in a week or so.
At one stage, Dr Zahid Hasan Ansari, Secretary, Sindh Blood Transfusion Authority, said that the dengue laboratory tests were made possible at large scale for the first time at Services Hospital Karachi during the last episode of dengue. And if needed the Sindh government would provide diagnostic kits in sufficient numbers in future as well, he added.
The meeting also discussed the cost incurred on blood tests and supply of platelets to infected people and considered that the demand against the services made by the private sector blood banks and hospitals were too high.EDO Dr A. D. Sajnani said that in case of any outbreak in future the district government would not involve private labs or hospitals any more and prefer to utilise its own relevant establishments and resources. We are also in the process of developing a centralised blood bank and intend to meet the platelet packs requirement of dengue patients of the city as well in future, he added.
The meeting also stressed the need for improving the overall sanitation and solid waste mismanagement in cities. It was said that health departments of districts should not involve in fumigation and sanitation activities as it was the duty of UCs and town councils.
EDOs from Nawabshah, Tharparkar, Qambar, Mirpurkhas, Tando Mohammad Khan, Sukkur, Ghotki, Badin, Jacobabad, Khairpur, Dadu, Umerkot, Thatta Shikarpur, Sanghar, Jamshoro, Kashmore, Larkana, Tando Allahyar and Hyderabad also attended the meeting.
Dr Abdul Majid said that letters would be sent to authorities at district/taluka/town levels and to the cantonment boards, asking them to ensure proper sanitation.
It was decided in the meeting that awareness about dengue should be made through electronic and print media.
It was reminded that those who had already suffered from dengue fever or were suspected for dengue haemorrhagic fever should be protected as they may prove severe cases to handle. The EDOs were also asked to ensure fogging activities in their respective areas at the earliest.
