Plant extracts against dengue: need stressed for conducting scientific studies

Agriculture experts have called for conducting scientific studies to assess potential of different plants extracts against the dengue epidemic.
They addressed concluding session of international symposium on "Diet as an Adjunctive Measure for Prevention and Management of Dengue Prevention" arranged by the National Institute of Food Science and Technology (NIFSAT), University of Agriculture, Faisalabad at New Senate Hall.
UAF Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan said across the globe, 2.5 billion people (36 percent of total population) live the areas where dengue virus can be transmitted.
He said in Pakistan, it was appeared in Karachi in 1994 and now it is targeting the Punjab. He lauded the Punjab government efforts who helped in reducing the virus compared to other dengue-hit countries.
He said that plants extracts including apple, papaya, citrus and guava overcome the disease. He pinned hope that such type of event will create new avenue to aware the masses about the epidemic.
Professor Dr Riaz Hussain Dab said that annually 20 million dengue cases occur, which resulting the 24,000 deaths world-wide. He said that attempts to control dengue and effective vaccine remain the important preventative measures.
He also called for more joint efforts of the UAF, PMC, NIBGE and Entomology Department to control the virus in the country. He said that under the banner of Faisalabad Research Forum, they were working on it. He said that in 2011, total dengue mortalities in Faisalabad were five out of 2,150 patients.
Professor Dr Faqir Muahamad Anjum said that due to the absence of the specific antiviral medication for dengue fever, scientists have started to alternative diet based therapy.
He stressed the need to find the nutrients, which could produce protection against dengue. He said that the diet played a vital role in the fighting of viruses. He called for social mobilisation to curb the menace by taking precautionary measures at individual level for minimising the effect of the virus at grass root level.
Professor Dr Zahid Yasin Hashimi, Head Department of Medicine, PMC, said that steering committee on dengue had been constituted under the convenership of Commissioner Faisalabad to step up working on the dengue in the district. He said that under the projects, the doctors of the district would also be equipped with the enhanced knowledge of the dengue.
He said that they are also launching awareness campaign to get rid from the disease. He said that the students from the UAF would also be included to aware the public.
Mrs Shaista Pervaiz MPA and Director Board of Governors, Punjab Education Foundation and Wasim Akram, Head, R&D, Dengue Programme, CM Secretariat, and Dr Sarfraz Ahmad also spoke at the occasion.