District administrations across Punjab have failed to curb the quickly spreading dengue epidemic as the deadly fever has gripped all major cities of Punjab, with 174 new cases reported on Monday, Pakistan Today has learnt.
Increasing number of cases across all big cities of Punjab enervates the claims of the provincial government, especially health EDOs, about preparedness to cope with the dengue virus. The number of patients affected with any of the four kinds of dengue virus is on the rise in other cities of the province as well, with Lahore on top, which has induced panic in the public.
According to statistics provided by the Health Department, during the recent outbreak of the disease as many as 1,400 cases of dengue were reported in Lahore, while Faisalabad is the second worst-hit city with 52 cases, followed by Multan with 26. Fourteen cases have surfaced in Sheikhupura, 11 in Nankana Sahib and 5 in Chakwal.
However, experts maintain that the health authorities have “little idea” of the extent of the dengue epidemic and unofficial figures stand higher than official statistics as many private hospitals are not reporting the dengue figures correctly. Moreover, they said the government has also failed to have an effective check on the private hospitals, which was also “lamentable”.
Even last year, the deadly virus took Punjab by surprise and persisted despite government efforts until the winter, when the disease naturally dies out. However, this year again, dengue caught everyone by surprise with an unexpected early arrival, while government authorities geared up efforts to curb the disease after a large number of cases started appearing in hospitals. A lack of coordination between health and district government officials has also been witnessed as the Health Department receives figures and the district administration has been tasked with fumigation to eradicate the vector (disease carrier, in this case a certain species of mosquito). Medical experts also believe that the focus of attention should be the virus and its carrier mosquito, and demand “vector surveillance” to develop a long-term strategy to cope with the deadly disease, not only now but in coming years as well. They base their argument on the changing pattern of the disease, which initially was thought to be hitting every other year. The number of reported cases and the most affected localities have also considerably changed this year as, unlike last year, it is now hitting the posh areas of the provincial capital.
Communication Disease Centre (CDC) Director Malik Mubashir said that dengue was a disease of urban areas and its carrier mosquito bred in conditions that were more prevalent in densely populated areas, so it was spreading in big cities. “Air-conditioned and cooler environments are favourable for the breeding of the mosquito,” he added. He said some less populated areas such as Gujranwala and Sheikhupura were also affected with the virus because of their proximity to Lahore.
The government has claimed to provide the diagnostic and treatment facility free of cost at all government hospitals in each district. However, constantly rising number of dengue cases in urban centres of the province have panicked the people at large, who are thronging the dengue counters at hospitals.
As a belated response, the Punjab chief minister and chief secretary also held high-level meetings on Monday and issued directions to develop a strategy to cope with the epidemic. The chief secretary has also ordered health officials to update him on the dengue situation and the measures being taken to prevent and eradicate the disease.
Dengue epidemic grips Punjab as 174 more cases reported
