Congo fever: LHC seeks reply from health authorities by 9th

Advocate Azhar Siddique says govt hospitals had no vaccine to save the lives of the people suffering from Congo fever

LAHORE: Lahore High Court on Tuesday sought replies from the health secretary, Drug Regulatory Authority and others on a petition calling into question provincial government’s ability to contain Congo virus.

Speaking on behalf of the petitioner, Advocate Azhar Siddique said that Congo fever virus was spreading in the Punjab. He said that Pakistan had been facing the Congo virus scare for the last many years. He said the role of the Health Department in the prevailing situation had not been satisfactory. He said that statistics given by the Health Department about the spread of Congo virus in the Punjab were hardly trustworthy. He said that health officials would usually fudge figures and conceal facts. He said that many Congo fever-related deaths remained unreported because of limited health coverage in the province, especially in the rural areas. Many people, including doctors and paramedics, have fallen prey to Congo fever in recent months, he said. Unavailability of proper treatment and safety kits for health officials working at wards for Congo fever patients are reasons for these deaths, he added. He said that government hospitals had no vaccine to save the lives of the people suffering from Congo fever.

He said the Health Department had not issued any alert to government and private hospitals to get ready to fight Congo virus. He prayed to the court to direct the government to take urgent measures to contain Congo virus.

Chief Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah heard the argument and issued notices to the respondents. He directed the respondents to inform the court about the number of people infected by Congo fever virus and measures taken by the government to contain the virus by September 9.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 7^th, 2016.