LAHORE, Sept 24: Nine towns of Lahore and district coordination officers across the province have been directed to focus on eliminating the breeding of mosquito-larva in the accumulated rainwater of a large number of empty residential and commercial plots.

Sources told Dawn on Saturday that a team of Sri Lankan doctors and experts had advised the Punjab government to effectively control further spread of dengue virus after it got several samples of dengue larvae from various open places in Lahore.

The team said since Sri Lanka had controlled the spread of mosquito with the help of effective public awareness campaign and through eliminating mosquito breeding sites, Pakistan too, particularly Punjab which was in a state of emergency, should follow the same method, they said.

“The team is also of the view that the Punjab government should formulate a comprehensive strategy, particularly in relation to the preventive care against the dengue fever, to save the public lives,” said an official who requested not to be named.

He said the Punjab government was closely in touch with the Sri Lankan experts and was acting upon their recommendations being made during meetings presided over by Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on a daily basis.

The official said that experts’ opinions regarding eradication of the mosquito breeding sites had been conveyed to entire town municipal administrations (TMAs) of the CDGL, all commissioners and DCOs of the province to adopt a long-term strategy to combat dengue virus in their respective areas.

He said the government had also directed senior officials concerned to ensure using insecticides after getting these tested through drug testing laboratories and inform quarters concerned in this regard on a regular basis.