Deadly virus: In Upper Dir, pneumonia claims 30 children’s lives

UPPER DIR:

Even though at least 30 children have died due to pneumonia in the remote villages of Upper Dir during the recent outbreak in Kalkot Komrat and Thall union councils, the district health department is still light years away from planning a strategy to combat the deadly virus.

After the number of deaths increased to 20, district health officials declared emergency in hospitals. District Health Officer (DHO) Dr Wakeel Muhammad said scores of children infected with pneumonia were admitted in the headquarters hospital, mainly from villages surrounded by hills.

The immunisation campaign is underway in the affected areas, stated the DHO. “In the last three days around 1,500 children have been vaccinated against the deadly virus.”

Blood samples of the infected children were sent to Islamabad by the World Health Organisation, said the DHO. “We will chalk out plans for the eradication of the disease after receiving the reports.”

Had the parents rushed the children to the hospital, their lives could have been saved, he added. “Due to lack of awareness and medical facilities most of the parents prefer to treat their children from quacks or with homemade herbal medicines which resulted in the high number of casualties.”



Talking to The Express Tribune, Faqir Hussain, who lost three children from the deadly virus, said he rushed his children to the headquarters hospital but they died due to the unavailability of staff and medicines. I had borrowed money from relatives for the treatment, he added.

Musafar Khan, who lost two daughters and a son, also complained about the negligence of the medical staff. “My children were taken to the hospital in time but the doctors ignored them.” They might have survived had they been the children of some government official, he added.

When contacted, doctors at the headquarters hospital could not give the exact number of children infected with pneumonia who come for treatment.

While the doctor at BHU Thall, who wished not to be named, said many children suffering from severe fever and throat infection had come to him about a week ago, but he treated them with plain antibiotics. “We don’t have proper medicines so I couldn’t admit the children at the BHU and suggested they be taken to the headquarters hospital,” he said.

Most parents prefer herbal medicines because the rest are expensive, he explained. “The children died due to lack of facilities and nourishing food.”

Published in The Express Tribune, January 27^th, 2013.