Awareness vital to combat malaria SHAHID RAO RAWALPINDI - Integrated awareness programme is vital to eradicate malaria because this disease has no boundaries and the residents of malaria-free areas, too, are falling victim to this dreadful disease. Pakistan Green Task Force President Dr Jamal Nasir said while addressing a seminar held here under the auspices of Federal Malaria Control Programme(FMCP). Eminent doctors, medical students, representatives of civil societies, members of Pakistan Green Task Force and people from all walks of life attended the seminar. Delivering the keynote speech, Federal Malaria Control Programme Director Dr Faisal Mansoor said that Malaria is the second most prevalent and devastating disease in the country and it has a tendency of epidemic breakouts over larger areas, particularly in Balochistan, NWFP and Sindh. However, he said, the disease is now emerging as a prominent health hazard in FATA, particularly along the international border with Iran and Afghanistan. Dr Faisal Mansoor urged the physicians not to suggest anti-malarial medicines to patients by finding symptoms of temperature because it has been observed that Rs 3.5 billion are being spent on manufacturing of anti-malarial medicines which is obviously not required in our vicinity. He also briefed about the measures, so far, adopted for protection from malaria and dengue viruses, saying the efforts were being made to seek cooperation of policy-makers and public opinion leaders for proper implementation of Malaria Control Programme. Associate Professor of Surgery of Rawalpindi General Hospital Dr Jhangir Sarwar called for initiating practical measures for collection of statistics from the grass root level, and demanded provision of adequate resources to overcome malaria and other related ailments both in urban and rural areas. Dr Badar-i-Alam and Dr Ferhan also spoke on the occasion and highlighted various aspects of viral diseases.