Dengue deaths

The Punjab government’s failure to battle the dengue-carrying mosquito, initially regarded as something of a laughing matter, has now become a far graver one. Smiles have vanished from faces and the panic has fanned out from its epicentre in the province to all across the country. Four thousand and forty-four cases, with four deaths, are now being reported nationwide; more than 3,500 of them reported to be in the Punjab. Lahore has emerged as the worst affected city. According to a Punjab government notification, all schools are to be closed for 10 days for fumigation — creating more disruption in lives. The death of the Mineral Development Corporation’s secretary, at an elite hospital, reportedly after a rapid drop in his platelet count; and the hospitalisation of the housing secretary has only added to the sense of scare, as people realise that not even money and influence can save lives.

There are also doubts about the death toll being given. Many believe it is being under-played by provincial health authorities. Anecdotal evidence from neighbourhoods across Lahore speaks of more deaths than are being reported. Of course dengue may not be responsible in every case, but certainly some of the deaths seem attributable to a virus that has wrecked lives. It seems likely that hospitals have been asked to play down the number of deaths. Most medical centres in the city are struggling to cope, with up to three persons squeezed onto a single bed in many facilities even as more victims continue to be brought in. The extent of the impact on lives is evident in the swimming pools at clubs, schools and homes that stand vacant and in the disappearance of repellent sprays from shops.

Dengue has now been with us as a yearly event for more than five years. The chaos we see in the Punjab could have been avoided by taking timely measures. The fumigation campaigns underway now, the helplines set up and the other measures a ten-day closure of all schools are rather pointless now. Things have been left too late and the result is mass pandemonium and the confusion that comes with it for millions of people.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 14^th,  2011.