‘No need to panic over Congo virus’

LAHORE

A special committee constituted by Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to monitor implementation and progress on standard operational procedures (SOPs) for prevention and eradication of Congo Virus met on Thursday under chairmanship of Additional Chief Secretary Shamail Ahmad Khawaja. All the divisional commissioners of the province participated in the meeting on video link. 

Secretary Livestock and Dairy Development Naseem Sadiq while giving presentation on this occasion informed the conference that eight Congo fever cases emerged and these individuals came to Punjab from Balochistan and they were cattle handlers. The Congo Virus is prevalent in Afghanistan.

The ticks manifested in the skin of sacrificial animals from the origin of areas of the Punjab province are not only tick free but they also are free of Congo Virus. There is no need to panic. However, the Punjab government has timely taken precautionary measures by vaccinating the domestic animals like goats, sheep and cows in the districts of Chakwal, Attock and DG Khan through subcutaneous injections of Ivermectine.

These animals have become immune from ticks carrying Congo Virus. In addition to that, livestock department has approached 2.5 million animal handlers to impart them awareness regarding prevention and eradication of Congo Virus.

There are 35 species of ticks and only one species (Female Hulma) is capable to become vector of Congo Virus. Commissioner Faisalabad Division Momin Agha informed the meeting that the district administration of Faisalabad has arranged stalls of double gloves and anti-ticks chemical spray on wholesale market rate in the cattle market and sale points for the convenience of sacrificial animal buyers and sellers. The additional chief secretary directed the divisional commissioners to take necessary precautions during slaughtering of sacrificial animals and their meat preparations at homes on upcoming Eid-ul Azha.

Livestock department should launch an immediate plan of blanket spray and chemical treatment coming to the province and traveling from district to district and all major sale points including cattle markets in accordance with the SOPs, he added.

immunisation: Parliamentarians pledged to play an active role in strengthening routine immunisation (RI) in Punjab in a meeting convened to identify key priority areas for evidence based parliamentary oversight and legislation in a local hotel on Thursday. 

Parliamentary Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Secretariat, Punjab Assembly Taskforce on SDGs, organised the session on the role of parliamentarians for strengthening routine immunisation with support from Global Alliance for Vaccination and Immunization (GAVI) and collaboration of Punjab Assembly Speaker Rana Mohammad Iqbal.

MNA Ms Marriyum Aurangzeb, Convener Parliamentary Taskforce on SDGs, emphasised role of parliamentarians in improving and strengthening RI universal coverage at the constituency level for saving the lives of children due to Vaccine Preventable Diseases (VPD). She shared activities being pursued by parliamentarians in collaboration with Gavi, a vaccine alliance, and Federal EPI for increasing RI coverage across Pakistan.

MPA Azma Bokhari, Convener Punjab SDGs Taskforce, said the purpose of the meeting was to engage members of Punjab Assembly to increase the parliamentary engagement at the constituency level for effective advocacy across the province.

The parliamentary taskforce was formed by Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq in 2013 to develop a forum in the form of a parliamentary taskforce driving ownership of development targets from all provincial assemblies including Gilgit Baltistan (GB) and Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK).

The MPs during the dialogue prioritised the work plan on how to increase parliamentary oversight at constituency levels to improve RI coverage and indicators across Punjab. Punjab EPI Programme led by the chief minister is already championing the province with approximately 86pc RI coverage and is a technology-based surveillance and monitoring through PITB support.

Director Expanded Programme on immunisation Dr Munir Ahmed gave an overview of the immunisation situation in the province and shared the data as well as challenges faced by the programme to endure equitable coverage throughout the province.

He said the Punjab has the highest immunisation coverage amongst other provinces with 86pc children fully immunised.

The parliamentary taskforce in the past organised national meetings on reasons and determinants of malnutrition and the second meeting will be held in Sindh next month with provincial taskforce of Sindh.