Detection of dengue larva: people asked to pay special attention to cleanliness

After detection of dengue larva from inside the houses, the Punjab government has asked the people to pay special attention on cleanliness inside the houses and also not to store water in open containers especially in plastic drums, which are the main source of larva breeding.
This was revealed during a meeting of Cabinet Committee held to review the implementation on the steps taken by different departments for Dengue Prevention and Control on Tuesday. Addressing the meeting, Special Assistant to Chief Minister Punjab for Health, Khawaja Salman Rafiq asked the town municipal administrations (TMAs) to accelerate the registration and licensing of tyre shops and this work should be completed on emergent basis.
He also directed the administration of Mayo, Sir Ganga Ram, Services, Jinnah, Said Mitha, Kot Khawaja Saeed and Government Nawaz Sharif Social Security hospitals to improve the cleanliness condition in their respective hospitals and drain out stagnant water from the hospital's premises.
He disclosed that suitable amendments would be made in Dengue Regulation Act for effective community participation. Salman Rafiq disclosed that suitable amendments would be made in Dengue Regulation Act for effective community participation. Besides, elected public representatives from Lahore, the secretaries, additional secretaries and senior officers of Health, Education, Environment, Auqaf, Local Government Labour, Forest and Fisheries, Punjab Information Technology Board and other departments attended the meeting. Secretary Health Punjab, Captain Arif Nadeem informed the meeting that during the last three days, Health Department teams visited 29,988 houses and 87,357 containers for vector surveillance.
During these visits Dengue Larva has been reported from few places. He informed that mechanical larvaeciding has been done on the spot. He further said that only one confirmed dengue case has so far been reported in Punjab. During the meeting, it was informed that Auqaf Department has organised seminars in the mosques of Lahore, Pakpattan, Sialkot, Faisalabad, Gujrat and DG Khan for the awareness of general public in which local Ulema delivered lectures on the importance of cleanliness for dengue control. It was also informed that Environment Department has sealed a factory on Ferozpur Road which was utilising old tyres as a fuel.
The meeting was further informed that WASA has cleared 196 sites during the last three days by dewatering. Moreover, water leakage complaints also redressed from different tube-wells. EDO Health Lahore informed that larvaeciding has been done in those houses where the larva was detected. Targeted indoor spray is being conducted in the city. The elected public representatives also expressed their views regarding the working of different departments and also presented recommendations for further improvement.