Researchers urged to produce dengue repellent

FAISALABAD: Speakers urged the researchers to produce dengue repellent to fight the virus that had taken lives of many people last year.

They were addressing a seminar arranged by Endowment Fund at New Senate Hall of University of Agriculture Faisalabad here on Saturday.

UAF Vice Chancellor Professor Dr. Iqrar Ahmad Khan presided over the session while Dr Abbas Ali Chief Scientist National Center for Natural Product Research, University of Mississippi, USA, was the chief guest.

Dr Abbas Ali said they had collected extracts of 25,000 plants and working on them to produce fatal diseases repellent including dengue, cancer etc.

He said oil of a plant Jatropha was the best repellent of the dengue, adding that his organization had a strong liaison with various institutes in Pakistan, India and other Asian countries.

The UAF vice chancellor lauding steps taken by the Punjab government for curbing the virus urged the public to join hands for making Pakistan dengue free country.

Faculty of Agriculture Dean Professor Dr. Muhammad Ashfaq, Endowment Fund Executive Director Professor Dr. Tahir Zahoor and Department of Entomology Professor Dr. Anjum Sohail and Dr. Khurram Zia also spoke. (APP)