Diphtheria threatens Punjab as crucial vaccine shortage erupts

The Children Hospital has seen a hike in the number of Diphtheria cases, with seven children losing their lives in just two months, Pakistan Today has learnt.

Crucial injections that were unavailable were the main cause of the deaths. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has pointed out that a single case of diphtheria is enough to cause an outbreak, and Lahore is indeed in trouble.

Dr Muhammad Saud Rana from Children Hospital told Pakistan Today that two patients with the disease were brought to the hospital about two months ago but not a single injection to cure the disease was available at the hospital.

He said that his staff tried to procure the injection from other hospitals but found that the injection is not available anywhere in the entire province. All the injections that were available in the province had expired. Dr Rana further added that he along with other doctors has written a letter to the hospital administration and the secretary health but authorities paid no heed towards the grave situation.

After the situation went out of control, the authorities acted in panic and ordered that the injections be imported from Afghanistan. “The innocent lives of 15 to 20 children were lost in last two months because of the sheer apathy of government and these lives could have been saved if they get proper treatment in time,” he concluded.

It has been learnt that the hospital administration is trying to hide the actual number of deaths because they fear that strict action will be taken against them. A doctor from the hospital told this scribe that a child was discharged from the hospital yesterday just one minute before his death in order to show that the child did not take his last breath on the hospital premises.

The gravity of the situation can be gauged by the erection of a newly formed special ward in the Out Patient Department (OPD) that was arranged after the situation went out of control. The mortality rate has increased drastically just because of poor vaccination and patients are coming to the hospital from other cities also.

Children Hospital Medical Director (MD) Professor Dr Ahsan Waheed Rathore confirmed to Pakistan Today that 14 children have been reported dead since January and seven in last two months.

He said that when a child is brought in the hospital, his medical condition is already complicated and no medicine works properly in such a complicated condition. He further added that a committee has been formed under the supervision of King Edward Medical University (KEMU) Vice Chancellor Dr Faisal Masood to probe the cause of death. 40 injections have been imported from Afghanistan and a batch of 60 more injections is also coming, but the MD claimed that the shortage was not the reason of deaths. He said that the committee was formed after the news came in the media.

The interim Director General (DG) Health Punjab Dr Amjad Shehzad told Pakistan Today that we have managed to get more injections with the help of WHO. He said that only one factory in the world produces these injections and there the shortage was not just in Pakistan but all over the world.

“It is a very fatal disease and its mortality rate is 60 per cent even today,” Dr Amjad maintained, and added that even with the administration of the injections there is no guarantee that a patient may live.