July 18, 2008	Friday	Rajab 14, 1429

ISLAMABAD, July 17: The health ministry on Thursday put hospitals in the capital on alert as one more positive case of dengue fever was confirmed by National Institute of Health and vowed to prevent the disease from becoming a serious threat to public health this year.

The second dengue fever case is also being treated at Polyclinic Hospital.

The first case was reported on Wednesday when a Frontier Constabulary jawan Jannas Khan tested positive and became the first case of this season.

Rumours continued making rounds in the city because of heightened concerns about the prospects of the outbreak of the disease in the capital. There were reports of a new case at Shifa Hospital and a death occurring due to the disease. However, NIH officials after investigating the claims dismissed them as rumours.

Almost taken by surprise because of early incidence of the disease, the health ministry held several meetings to firm up its plans to deal with the situation.

The two-pronged strategy being drawn up by the health planners has both curative and preventive aspects of the disease control.

A media campaign for increasing awareness among the general public about the disease and its prevention is the linchpin of this strategy.

Additionally, residual spraying and fogging operation in the Capital is being started from Friday.

A media statement issued by the health ministry at the end of the meeting quoted federal health minister Ms Sherry Rehman as saying: “The government is determined to prevent the spread of disease this year. Unlike the past, we will not let it become a serious threat to the public health this time.”

Ms Rehman said that controlling the outbreak of the disease is a challenging task since the global prevalence of dengue has grown dramatically in recent decades.

The health minister also called for community efforts to control the spread of the virus that is transmitted by the mosquito Aedes aegypti. “Since the mosquito can survive and breed in domestic settings, each individual will have to play his/her role in preventing the outbreak of the disease.”

The vector mosquito can best be controlled through environmental management and chemical methods. Proper solid waste disposal and improved water storage practices, including covering containers to prevent access of mosquitoes, are very important.

The government, the minister said, is ready to assist communities in implementing vector control measures. “Only a joint effort by the government and the communities can ensure that the dengue does not turn into an epidemic claiming dozens of life, as it has in the past,” she emphasized.