A World Health Organization (WHO) team arrived here Saturday to review steps taken by the Kingdom in its fight against dengue fever. During its stay till Oct. 16, the team will hold talks with Dr. Hamad Bin Abdullah Al-Mane', Minister of Health, in Riyadh and other officials in Jeddah and Makkah. The WHO team aims to assess measures adopted to combat dengue fever, said Dr. Nuha Bint Ahmad Dashdash, Assistant Director of Health Affairs for Primary Health Care in Jeddah. The WHO team will meet with the Director General of Health Affairs in Makkah, Dr. Khaled Bin Obeid, to discuss plans to combat the disease, he said. Moreover, the team will discuss the issue with the Director General of District Health in Makkah, Dr. Khaled Zafar, Dr. Sami Badawood, Director of the Health Affairs in Jeddah, Dr. Muhammad Bin Hassan Al-Zahrani, Director of Infectious Diseases, and Dr. Ahmed Nasser Al-Khalidi, Manager of the Infectious Diseases Management in the Ministry of Health. Dashdash said the Kingdom has deployed the latest techniques to fight the deadly disease. “We are coordinating with the Municipality officials to eliminate the causes helping the spread of dengue fever,” she added. Several measures have been initiated to kill the insects responsible for the disease, she said. The WHO team will evaluate the techniques being used and advise the Kingdom on the adoption of latest measures to fight the disease, said Dashdash. Dr. Badawood said periodic visits by WHO teams will help the Kingdom to better organize the fight against the disease. __
