LAHORE:
Prevention is the only promising protection against the dengue virus. Creating awareness about the virus among the people by the government, the media, social organisations and civil society members will help in the early elimination of the dengue virus.
These views were espoused by Postgraduate Medical Institute Principal Prof Dr Tariq Salahuddin who was addressing a symposium held on Effects of Dengue during Pregnancy at the Lahore General Hospital on Wednesday. Prof A Waseem Yousaf, Prof Javed Akram, Prof Rakhshanda Tayyab, Prof Muhammad Aslam, Prof Muhammad Yaqoob Qazi, Prof Nusrat Jahan, Prof Humayun Iqbal, Prof Shaheena Asif and Prof Khalid Bashir addressed the symposium while many gynecologists from the city’s government hospitals were in attendance.
Prof Dr Salahuddin said that last year the speed of the dengue virus was unexpected. He said last year’s experience had shown that planning and effective preventive measures would help in overcoming the virus this year. Prof Muhammad Aslam said that dengue patients should avoid unnecessary use of medicines and use only the medicines they had been prescribed by a doctor.
Other medical experts were of the view that in case of a dengue attack, there is no chance of harm to the fetus in a pregnancy.
However, pregnant woman should get dengue tests regularly and should be cared for in government hospitals. They said that the dengue mosquito breeds in water stored in the houses, therefore, the role of housewives was of paramount importance.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 25th, 2012.
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