Medical experts fear a surge in death rate from dengue fever with an increasing number of cases of dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) being registered across Punjab, as the provincial government approved regulations to control dengue under the Punjab Epidemic Control Act.
The reported deaths in Punjab have climbed to 177 with the confirmation of nine more deaths on Thursday.
Of these 177, 160 people lost their lives to DHF and DSS in Lahore alone, though it is feared that the deaths might be much higher than reported.
The number of positive dengue cases is still on rise in the province and 608 more were tested positive for the virus, 461 patients in Lahore only. Presently, 1,862 patients are hospitalised in various hospitals of Lahore.
King Edward Medical University Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Asad Aslam said though overall dengue cases were declining, DHF patients were on the rise.
He said the risk of contracting DHF got higher if a person was infected the second time by dengue virus. Aslam said that to lower the death rate by DHF, early diagnosis and detection of DHF symptoms in patients was necessary.
Health Secretary Jahanzeb Khan said the pattern of increasing DHF patients was similar to the pattern in other countries. He said the changing weather had helped reduce the effects of dengue.
According to epidemiologists flaws in fumigation and sprays, careless management in hospitals and lack of community involvement in the drive against the dengue mosquito are the main reasons for continuous spread of dengue virus across the Punjab and country as well. In Lahore Sheikh Zaid hospital is the only hospital where patient care is good while all other hospitals there has been careless management since dengue’s outbreak. Shiekh Zaid hospital is to be managed by cabinet division under federal government, while rest of the hospitals is to be managed by Punjab government. These facts and figures again validate health experts’ narrative that there is careless management in hospitals on the part of Punjab government. This is gross negligence and total failure of Shahbaz Sharif. Dengue is not as such epidemic like plague and others. But Shahbaz has made it epidemic.
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