PESHAWAR: Provincial Minister for Health Shahram Khan Tarakai said here on Monday that efforts were afoot to control the outbreak of dengue fever and eliminate breading places of the dengue mosquitoes.

The minister told a press conference that district administration would soon launch crackdown on the shops selling old tyres. He said that FIRs would be registered against those shopkeepers, who did not cooperate with the administration.Besides Tehkal and its adjacent villages in Peshawar, Badhber is the new area where dengue mosquitoes have landed and bitten around 40 persons.

Mr Tarakai said that so for five people died in Peshawar due to dengue fever. He said that they would control the epidemic like they controlled pollo in the province.

PeshawarDeputyCommissioner Saqib Aslam Raza and MPA Arif Yousaf were also present during the press conference.

The minister said that provincial government didn`t lack funds and so no plan or strategy was affected owing to shortage of funds. `A total of 257 dengue fever patients have so far recovered and discharged from Khyber Teaching Hospital,` he claimed.

Mr Tarakai said that so far 530 cases of dengue fever had beenreported since its outbreak in Tehkaland Badhberareas.

The data provided to journalists reveals that 443 cases have been reported at KTH, including 31 fresh cases. Of them, 180 are still admitted while 257 have been discharged while five people have died.

Similarly, at Hayatabad Medical Complex, 49 patients were received. Of them, 22 were admitted while 27 were discharged. No one died at HMC. All the affected people at both the hospitals belonged to Tehkal area of Peshawar.

At Lady Reading Hospital and Naseerullah Khan Babar Teaching Hospital Kohat Road, a total of 38 patients belonging to Badhber were received. Of them, 12 were discharged while 26 were admitted.

The minister said that besidesfumigation, they were sending special teams to carry out for door to door drive and inform people about the preventive measures against dengue fever. He said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government welcomed the teams sent by Punjab government for helping it in controlling the outbreak and providing treatment to the affected people.

He said that initially some misunderstanding was created among the people that Khyber Pal(htunl(hwa government was not allowing the Punjab`s doctor teams to work in Peshawar.

The minister said that they would learn from each other`s experiences. He said that a committee was formed that would inform and educate people regarding dengue virus. He said that ulema would be also asked to educate people on the issue.