Dengue fever hits Lahore

[Lahore_Real_Estate]

LAHORE: Patients of dengue fever thronged different hospitals across the city for treatment while stating that public had suffereddue to Punjab government’s failure to fumigate in time and keep a check on corrupt officials.

The citizens said that they became victims of recklessness and lack of planning on part of the government authorities that such a huge number of people were falling victim to the deadly ailment, which was otherwise treatable if diagnosed on time.

According to the statistics provided by local authorities, 689 people are suffering from dengue fever in the city while the total number of cases across the province is 807. At least 131 people were brought to hospitals in Lahore between Saturday and Sunday, while the actual number of victims is likely to grow because the government had failed to do anything so far to kill the mosquitoes spreading the deadly disease.

According to sources, there are forty-one dengue patients in Ganga Ram Hospital, 5 in Mayo Hospital, 9 in Jinnah Hospital, 3 in Children’s Hospital, 36 in City District Government dispensaries, 2 in Services Hospital and 1 in Punjab Institute of Cardiology. Thirty-two cases were also reported in different private hospitals and clinics in the city.

Health experts are more worried about children catching this infection because extremely high fever is one of the key symptoms of this disease, which can prove to be devastating for kids due to relatively low level of immunity against extreme ailments in their bodies.

Children’s Hospital Director Dr Ahsan Waheed Rathore and Senior Paediatrician Prof Dr Ahsan Malik told Daily Times that government could only fumigate the façade of a locality but the mosquito responsible for dengue nourishes mostly in small scale clean water reservoirs, such as bath tubs, sinks, wet pots etc, and it was the responsibility of the residents to make sure that the mosquitoes do not breed in such places.

They said that the other way to get rid of mosquitoes is insecticides and other repellents. The experts added that in case of finding any symptoms of dengue in any of the family members, especially fever, they should immediately take them to a hospital or a qualified doctor instead of going to quacks.

They added that going to quacks for dengue treatment could prove fatal for the patient, but it is a treatable ailment if reported on time. They said that kids face red bruises on their faces with fever and it is difficult to treat the kids because they are more sensitive than adults and have to be given lower intensity medicines with a little difference in treatment.

The doctors stated that the victim suffers from extreme fever and the body temperature can reach up to 104 degrees fahrenheit or beyond, which becomes very difficult for the children to cope with as compared to the adults. They said that massive decline in platelets inside blood and white blood cells are the other risky factors associated with this disease and those who are suffering from dengue fever on advanced stage may even need to get intravenous injection of both the things.

They were of the view that increased consumption of water, juices and other healthy liquids was one key treatment of the ailment because it replenishes the rapidly declining bodily fluids on balance to some extent.

According to the officials, Punjab government had put all the hospital emergencies on alert over the dengue epidemic in the city. The Health Department had also asked the Anti-Malaria Departments of the City District governments and Pakistan Railways to conduct fumigation in their jurisdictions, including in Railway carriages to get rid of the deadly mosquitoes.

The officials added that dengue fever was not an extremely fatal disease and survival rate was very high. They added that all the hospital emergencies were provided with appropriate paraphernalia along with important instructions to handle the dengue or viral haemorrhagic fever patients.

However, citizens are blaming the District Health Department for the current situation along with the provincial government, which failed to keep a check on the activities of their local subordinates and left them on their own.

There is no official announcement about the government’s failure to control dengue fever this year as compared to the previous years when the threat was equally there but was almost prevented with quite a little loss. Nothing had been done by the government about the role of suspended Lahore Executive District Officer Dr Fayyaz Ranjha, who was assigned to buy the insecticides used in sprays and then to execute the plan.

They said that the Punjab government’s involvement into the matter was really too late but they should at least try to punish those who caused so much pain and nuisance to public while risking the lives of many of innocent people.