Barr, head of the Health and Environment Committee at Jeddah's Municipal Council, has said that “pressures from monitoring authorities on anti-dengue fever program spending” is partially to blame for the 857 cases of the illness detected so far this year, a rate of seven new cases per week. “These pressures have created instability in the financial and administrative system and in staff at the mayoralty, leading to some staff on the program being moved to other sectors after having their contracts terminated,” Al-Barr said. Al-Barr expressed his dismay at the “termination of the contracts of most employees on the anti-dengue program”. “The Mayor of Jeddah should have refused to terminate the contracts… the procedure has affected the program's progress and disrupted its plans, and consequently we have seen a rise in the number of recorded dengue cases,” he said. Al-Barr said the program required “set financial resources for the next few years” with collaboration from King Abdulaziz University, the ministries of Agriculture and Health, and the Mayor's Office. “I'd also like to see a weekly meeting of all parties involved in combating dengue fever to lay down a properly studied and researched plan of action and not one based on improvised responses,” he said. “We could also set up a data bank using scientific analysis to take the appropriate action.” Al-Barr noted that dengue fever was hitting particularly hard in the southern districts of Jeddah, with 90 percent of cases being detected in Al-Jami'a, Ghulail and Khuzam, but was unable to provide figures on the number of deaths. “I have no information on that. You'll have to ask the Ministry of Health,” he said. Al-Barr's remarks followed a Jeddah Municipal Council gathering last Wednesday which concluded that more money and staff were required to confront the illness. – Okaz/SG The Mayor's Office gave a presentation during which the rise in cases was blamed on a “lack of officials and poor materials”, and reportedly described the current situation as “extremely worrying”.
