RIYADH, 23 March 2006 — Agriculture Minister Fahd Balghunaim said here yesterday that his ministry had designated necessary manpower, facilities and spraying units to combat dengue fever in the Kingdom.
Balghunaim said that the ministry’s role in combating dengue fever was to support the municipalities. “We have a complete plan in the ministry for fighting the disease,” the minister said.
He said it was important to combat the increase in the number of mosquitoes which carry the disease. They breed in areas outside of Jeddah where there is standing stagnant water which has to be sprayed.
“We waited for necessary funds from the government and they have been approved by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah,” he said.
The minister said that he hoped cooperation with other concerned authorities in the Kingdom’s municipalities would put an end to the number of mosquitoes in the Kingdom’s cities.
Two weeks ago, the Council of Ministers, headed by King Abdullah, adopted measures to contain dengue fever in Jeddah where the disease was first reported in the Kingdom. The Cabinet allocated more than SR1.42 billion for projects aimed at combating the mosquito-borne disease.
Some 400 people, including a number of expatriates, have so far been affected. Five dengue fever deaths have been reported this year.
During its meeting, the Cabinet also discussed Jeddah’s failure to complete its sewage projects and called for quick comprehensive solutions to the problem.
According to Water and Electricity Minister Abdullah Al-Hussayen, Jeddah’s sewage problems — which are at least partly to blame for the spread of the disease — could be solved within three years.
