Azra Pechuho chairs online meeting on Vector Borne Diseases

KARACHI: Azra Fazal Pechuho, Sindh Minister for Health and Population Welfare,  held an online meeting on Vector Borne Diseases. 

The meeting was attended by Parliamentary Secretary for Health, Mr Qasim Siraj Soomro, Director, VBD, Deputy Director VBD, and DHOs in Karachi divisions. 

Minister Health and Population Welfare, Azra Fazal Pechuho, said the reporting has increased because of her previous instructions asking the private health facilities and labs to report on vector-borne diseases. Aside from the monsoon, this is one of the reasons for the rise in vector-borne disease trends. 

So far, in 2022, there have been 486 union councils focused on vector-borne diseases, with 11,942 fogging and fumigation activities, 5,842 rounds, and 123,648 Indoor Residue Spraying in rooms. 

Azra Fazal Pechuho added that stocks of material needed for vector control must be replenished. She also said to immediately distribute all the mosquito nets to malaria and dengue hotspots. 

The steps that the VBD Department has taken include the distribution of annual dengue and malaria activities, daily identification of hot spot areas using VSS data, breeding sites assessment survey has been conducted for identification of breeding sites as well as enlisting of potential breeding sites (indoor and outdoor) and health awareness sessions plus community mobilisation in districts.