Saudi Gazette report JEDDAH/JAZAN — A high committee comprised of representatives of four ministries has been formed to combat dengue fever in Jeddah. Assistant Director of Jeddah Health Affairs Dr. Sami Eid told Al-Watan newspaper that the four ministries involved in this effort are: Agriculture, Finance, Health and Municipal and Rural Affairs. He said the efforts of these various bodies are combined to combat the disease. Eid stressed the importance of awareness, as many residents are not aware that mosquitoes germinate in standing waters. He added that the dengue fever awareness section comprised five teams that roam neighborhoods to educate its residents, inspect waste and to mark areas where there are high concentrations of mosquitos. These teams have conducted approximately one million house visits over the past six years, he said. According to Eid, the health affairs directorate conducts in-house dengue combating while the municipality deals with streets and neighborhoods. Though dengue fever infections increased during September and May, infections are less than they were in previous years, he said. Al-Watan newspaper learned that the municipality has signed a SR84.8 million contract with a specialized company to help combat the disease over the next three years. Meanwhile, Abu Areesh General Hospital in Jazan province received six patients with dengue fever and one patient with swine flu in the past six weeks, Al-Madinah newspaper reported. Four of the dengue patients have been released and one is still in hospital, while a patient suffering from swine flu has died. Residents complain of the increasing numbers of mosquitoes, and the lack of attention by the authorities. They have resorted to burning waste to fight mosquitoes. Director of Preventive Medicine at Jazan Health Affairs Directorate Dr. Ahmad Sahli said that joint committees of concerned authorities are following up the spraying operation. He added that the large increase in mosquitoes may lead to an outbreak of epidemic diseases. The head of Abu Areesh municipality, Hasan Al-Tefail, said spraying pesticides is a continuous process in Abu Areesh and surrounding areas. Spraying begins at dawn and lasts for four hours inside neighborhoods. Additional spraying is carried out from 4 to 9 p.m.
