Dengue on the rise in Punjab cities

Lahore’s 80% patients belong to upscale areas

LAHORE:

Punjab government appears unable to overcome the spread of dengue fever as the situation is becoming alarming in several cities of the province.

The worst situation is in Lahore, where 332 new patients of dengue fever were confirmed in last 24 hours.

The upscale areas appear at higher risk as around 80 per cent of dengue patients in Lahore are from the Defence, Gulberg, Bahria Town and Model Town areas.

On the other hand, Punjab health department has reportedly received complaints against surveillance workers of extorting money from people by threatening to close their factories because of the presence of the larva.

Despite all efforts of Punjab government, dengue is spreading rapidly.

A spokesman for Punjab Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department said 412 new cases of dengue fever were confirmed in the province during last 24 hours.

As many as 332 of the patients were registered in Lahore, followed by 64 in Rawalpindi.

As many as 7,910 dengue cases have been reported in Punjab during the ongoing year, including 5,667 in Lahore.

The disease has claimed 21 lives in the province.

“The situation is alarming in the posh areas of Lahore where 80% of the patients in the city have been reported. The people should note that dengue is also dangerous like coronavirus,” a senior official of the health department told The Express Tribune.

The official said the increasing number of patients showed that the performance of the health department was not satisfactory.

He said the dengue season was at its peak were there were poor arrangements for the patients in the major government hospitals in Lahore.

“The government has established a field hospital at Expo Centre that is proving helpful for the people but it should also focus on the other hospitals where the staff are not taking the matter seriously. We are likely to need more beds and staff in the dengue wards in the coming days.”

Provincial Primary and Secondary Healthcare Secretary Imran Sikandar Baloch said 4,174 beds had been allocated in all government hospitals of Punjab for dengue patients, including 1,570 in Lahore.

Currently, 1,638 beds are occupied, including 799 in Lahore’s hospitals.

“People should take precautionary measures during this season and avoid pooling of water in their sorroundings,” he added.

Meanwhile, a district government official alleged that thousands of dengue workers recruited on a political basis, especially in Lahore, were responsible for the failure of the recent campaigns against the disease.

He alleged that political workers had been given jobs of dengue workers by the previous and and incumbent rulers who were not under the control of the government.

He also alleged that the majority of such workers remained absent and received salary without performing their duty.

The official said complaints had also been received about some employees harassing factory and shop owners for bribery with threats to seal their businesses on the pretext of detection of dengue larvae on the premises.

He said the Punjab government should establish a system to monitor the performance of the dengue workers.

The Punjab government has established a 280-bed dengue field hospital at Lahore Expo Centre following an increase in the number of patients.

A former medical superintendent of Sir Gangs Ram Hospital, Dr Abdul Basit, told The Express Tribune that the current season, especially the next two months, was a crucial period for the spread of dengue fever.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 21^st, 2021.