ISLAMABAD: The Health Directorate of Capital Development Authority (CDA) organized a seminar at Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry to create awareness in business community about pre-emptive measures for controlling dengue epidemic.
As per details, Health Services CDA Director Dr. Hasan Orooj gave a detailed presentation over the disease.
He said dengue was a mosquito borne virus, which was recognized in 1956, came to Asia in the 1980s and its first episode in Pakistan was diagnosed in 1994. He said 2.5 billion people were globally were at risk due to dengue, which was a leading cause of death among children in Asia. He said no vaccine was yet developed to cure dengue and its only cure was to take preventive measures to combat disease carrying mosquitoes.
He said mushroom growth of dengue carrying mosquitoes could take a heavy toll on economic activities and business community should take pre-emptive measures to control its growth. He identified tyre shops, un-constructed plots, katchi abadis, urban slums, streams, ponds etc. as the breeding spots of dengue mosquito and urged that no stay water should be left even in pet pots and other places to avoid dengue risk.
Giving a sector-wise analysis, he said the highest number of people who suffered from the dengue fever in Islamabad during 2015 were from G-6/2 (19.2 percent) and G-7/1 (8.9 percent). He said the verified and confirmed dengue positive patients in Islamabad reflected that the 52 percent residents belonged to G-Sector while majority i.e. 64 percent dengue positive patients belonged to low income group.
However, he said there was no need to panic, as dengue causes death to only 1 percent of affected people while 99 percent resisted it through inbuilt immunity system. On the other hand, 300 persons died per hour in Pakistan due to smoking. He urged that media should create awareness about preventive measures of dengue instead of creating panic in the public. He said ratio of confirmed dengue cases in Islamabad was much low as compared to Rawalpindi as during 2015, only 67 cases were confirmed in Islamabad as compared to 2900 in Rawalpindi. He said CDA Health Directorate has developed a three pronged strategy viz. awareness creation, controlling dengue larva/breeding and controlling adult dengue mosquitos to control the spread of dengue epidemic.
In his welcome address, ICCI Vice President Sheikh Abdul Waheed thanked CDA for organizing awareness session for business community and said that more such sessions should be organized, especially in schools as 30 percent dengue positive patients in Islamabad were students followed by 16.6 percent housewives. He said that during 2011 to 2014, more than 48000 dengue cases were confirmed in laboratories throughout Pakistan which showed that dengue epidemic was on the rise in the country. He said government should take urgent preventive measures and create maximum awareness in people to cope with this epidemic.
