TAXILA: As the number of dengue positive cases rise to 21, the local administration has launched a massive awareness campaign by organising anti-dengue walks and seminars along with other measures to deal with the disease.

After the recent rainy spell, the local administrators fear the disease will spread further.

To stop that from happening walks and seminars have been planned to educate people and create awareness among them on how to take preventative measures.

A walk was organised by the education department in collaboration with Private Schools Management Association in which students from different schools took part. The walk started from HMC Road and ended at the community hall where a seminar was organised by the Tehsil Municipal Administration, where people from other walks of life joined the students to learn about anti-dengue measures.

Assistant Commissioner Shahid Imran Marth was the chief guest at the event while Deputy District Officer Education Abdul Khalid presided over it.

Students had arranged stage shows and tableaus on how dengue is contracted and about its deadly effects.

Mr Marth advised people to protect themselves against mosquitoes and to properly dispose of solid waste and remove any stagnant water from their homes and workplaces. He said mosquitoes usually bred in containers like earthenware jars, metal drums, concrete cisterns used for domestic water storage, discarded plastic food containers, used automobile tyres and other items in which rainwater accumulates.

A similar seminar was organised by the Rawalpindi Solid Waste Management Company.

City managers have also been busy with other measures to stop further spread of the mosquito-borne disease.

For the first time 30 women workers were hired to survey houses in the areas declared sensitive and teach women precautionary steps against dengue.

High risk areas, including Saraj Kala, Mohallah Mashraqiabad and Jameelabad, have been fogged and indoor residual spraying has been carried out around houses where dengue larvae were found.

Published in Dawn, October 20th , 2015

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