Fumigation drive fails to deliver

LAHORE - The CDGL’s much-belated dengue fever control programme launched a few days back to control the malaria and dengue fever has miserably failed to produce the desired results.
One reason behind the collapse of programme is the short-lived effect of the spray being conducted through pump machines and foggers. It kills the mosquitoes existing only in the present atmosphere but has little effect on the mosquitoes that crop up the very next day or afterwards.
Another reason for the campaign’s failure to make any impact is the places left unattended by those carrying out the sprays over the nullaha and other places of stagnant water which are the main breeding grounds for the mosquitoes. As sprays could not cover such places, fighting mosquitoes as lethal as carrying dengue virus is not possible.
This is evident from the fact that more and more dengue patients are reported despite the fact that most of the UCs have been fumigated. It is learnt that during this campaign 139 out of total 150 Union Councils have already been completed. Due to ineffective sprays, the CDGL staff has to repeat the areas already being fumigated. “Every day we repeat sprays in 10 or more UCs already being sprayed,” said a supervisor.
The programme was launched on special instruction of CM Punjab Shahbaz Sharif who also suspended EDO (Health) Dr Capt Nasir Awan on sheer negligence to carry out anti-malaria and anti-dengue spray as per schedule He warned the authority concerned of dire consequences if programme failed to produce the results. But collapse of the programme testifies either warning was part of traditional practice or authority concerned is yet to wake up from deep slumber.
Well-placed sources revealed the dengue fever control programme was doomed to fall as it was launched in haste. High-ups of the health department and big bosses of CDGL did not bother to consult the concerned officials to chalk out an effective plan, the sources said.
The sources said once the chief minister reprimanded the top officials, they displayed a knee-jerk reaction. Hence, they prepared a lopsided programme, missing out even the main breeding grounds of the mosquitoes.
The biggest factory churning out mosquitoes is the 470 miles long drain that runs through the entire City. Most dangerous are open drains, called storm water drains. Rusty sewerage pipes causing leakage of sewerage water are other places facilitating the growth of mosquitoes. Small pounds set up in different areas due to overflowing gutters are other attractive areas for the mosquito breeding,” they maintained. The sources further said that some officials recommended the heath authorities that during the programme special spray of malor oil or fenthine must be carried out on standing water to annihilate such mosquito factories. But the authority concerned did not consider their valuable suggestions.