MAKKAH: Health Minister Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah dismissed, in a statement yesterday, reports of deaths caused by dengue fever in the Makkah province as contrary to facts.
“No death attributed to dengue fever has been reported in the region till date. After the passing of 17 weeks since the breakout of the disease only 44 cases of the fever have been reported,” Al-Rabeeah told Arab News after a meeting with Makkah Mayor Osama Al-Bar at his office yesterday.
“The combating of dengue fever is a top priority for not only the mayoralty, but the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture,” Al-Rabeeah said while assuring the public that the disease was under control.
The mayor’s office and other governmental departments are also to implement a scheme to beef up the combating of the disease, he added.
“The Ministry of Health does not deny the presence of the fever in the province but it is at a very low rate compared to other parts of the world. Serious efforts are under way to contain its spread in the region. We hope that media campaigns would educate people on precautions to be taken to keep them safe,” the minister said.
The minister stressed the significance of developing a civic culture on water consumption so that water is not allowed to pool in open areas thus providing a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
The minister also referred to the current campaign of insecticide spraying in residential areas.
“It is comforting to learn that integrated action teams have been set up in different areas of the city to fight the disease-carrying insects,” he added.
Saleh Ezzat, director of cleaning in the Makkah municipality, said aerial spraying to kill dengue mosquitoes would be undertaken in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture.
“Necessary supplies of insecticides have been procured for aerial spraying over regions to the north and south of Makkah,” the official said. He added that the municipal teams sprayed insecticide at more than 160 schools in the area. He said no spraying was undertaken in schools during class hours to avoid exposing pupils to insecticides.
He said some students of health institutions in the province would be assigned the duty of spraying insecticide in residential areas because people have complained that municipal workers demanded bribes for the service inside their homes.
