The Jeddah Health Affairs Management has begun an intensive campaign to fight dengue fever and spread health awareness among people. Some one million dengue fever awareness brochures have been printed for distribution in the city. The brochures contain information about the disease, its symptoms and methods of prevention. According to Munira Balahmar, head of the health awareness committee, some 150 community health instructors have received three intensive courses on dengue fever. “These instructors will soon pay visits to residents in their homes to educate them about the disease and the ways it can spread. They will also give information about where the disease-carrying mosquitoes may hide and breed,” Balahmar said. She added that nearly all the pharmacists at Al-Nahdi pharmacies throughout the city have been trained to help her committee achieve its goals. “We have also agreed with the pharmacies to place some 50 awareness posters on the front of their drugstores. The cooperation also includes the placement of other brochures about the role of the health instructors on the cash counters of Al-Nahdi pharmacies in both Jeddah and Makkah,” she said.
