LAHORE - Another 28 people were tested dengue positive on Tuesday, taking the number of confirmed cases in the province to 2,447.  Out of 28 new cases, 19 were reported from Lahore, six from Rawalpindi, two from outside Punjab and one from Sheikhupura.
According to a spokesman of Punjab Health Department, so far 2357 dengue patients have been discharged from hospitals after complete recovery. At present 73 patients are under treatment in different hospitals in the province, he said, adding that the government is providing free diagnosis and treatment facilities.
Meanwhile,  Chairman of CDA Nadeem Hasaan Asif said that prevention against dengue is an important step towards healthy Pakistan and Islamabad, being the federal capital, will lead in fight against dengue.
Cleanliness is pre-condition for dengue prevention and Islamabad's identity as clean capital will be further consolidated, the chairman civic body added while addressing a seminar organised by CDA on "Prevention and Management of Dengue Fever" at Pak-China Friendship Centre.
The chairman said that CDA is following multi-pronged strategy to fight dengue menace. Prevention is the one aspect of this strategy while management of the dengue-affected patients is another essential aspect. Today's seminar will cover both aspects including prevention and management.
Addressing the audience the chairman further said, "We are attacking dengue as it attacked our nation a few years back. We have courage and we have learnt to fight dengue. We will not take any chance in war against dengue and will further consolidate ourselves against this menace by sustained vigilance and by adopting new technologies. The menace of dengue has questioned future of our nation and we need an integrated approach to combat this on regular basis to quell any danger possessed by this disease. Our message is quite clear, as a nation we are all out against dengue, the participants should spread this message among those who are not here."
Emphasising the role of civil society in campaign against dengue, the chairman stressed that civil society should also intensify its efforts to spread awareness among masses regarding dengue virus. The CDA is available with all its resources and expertise for this purpose. Addressing the students, doctors, civil society and media persons present on the occasion, the chairman CDA urged them to play their due role in the cause of dengue elimination from the country. The Chairman offered full cooperation to students and Media in this regard.
Dr Waseem Akram, who is an expert on dengue, shared his presentation with the audience during the general session. Dr Waseem Akram on the occasion said that the speech by the chairman CDA demonstrates a resolve by Nadeem Hassan Asif to go any extent to get rid of dengue menace. Dr Waseem Akram shared the causes and measures to prevent dengue spread. Stressing on the role of cleanliness and role of sanitation in the fight against dengue, Dr Waseem emphasised that although Islamabad enjoys reputation of being a clean city, more efforts are required to do away with dengue by accelerating cleanliness drive. While sharing his experiences as team leader in combat against dengue in Punjab, Dr Waseem shared that awareness about causes of dengue spread is most important arm in this war. Measures such as fogging spray and use of chemicals may be effective but their effectiveness has very short life. The only durable cure of dengue is the awareness and proper translation of awareness into actions during our day-to-day life.
Dr Waseem further told the audience that dengue is no more seasons bound. With the climate changes dengue has now become an all season enemy. Round the clock vigilance all the year around is the only solution to this problem now.
Through a documentary, the audiences were informed about potential breeding sites of dengue. The documentary informed the audience about concrete steps taken by CDA in its efforts to deal with dengue in Islamabad. The audience was informed that CDA launched a massive cleanliness drive in the areas around IJ Principal Road. More than 40 vehicles and over 200 sanitation staff worked round the clock to clean the areas. Through anti-encroachment drive, all illegal unhygienic food outlets and other potential sources of dengue outbreak were removed. Parks, tyre shops, green areas, graveyards and other areas were inspected and necessary actions were taken.
The general session was followed by technical session. The technical session was attended by the doctors both from public and private sectors in a large number.
Dr Waseem educated the participants of the technical session about the research work available regarding dengue virus, causes of its spread and cures available. Dr Waseem further shared his expertise in dengue control in Punjab.
Dr Qutb-ud-Din Kakar of World Health Organisation (WHO) told the participants how WHO helped different provincial governments in Pakistan to subdue dengue. He outlined the future strategy of WHO regarding dengue control in the country including Islamabad.
Dr Hassan Urooj, Director Health Services CDA, threw light on the systematic approach utilised by CDA in anti-dengue drive. Dr Hafiz Sajjad and Dr Iqbal Haider Laso and Member Administration Amir Ahmed Ali also addressed the participants of the technical session.