Heal thyself: Over 100 doctors contract dengue in Lahore
Several hospitals are not being cleaned effectively. Doctors hence fear that these hospitals have transformed into breeding grounds for mosquitoes. On Sunday four more people died of dengue in Lahore, which increased the death toll to 36. A doctor working with the team of Sri Lankan experts told The Express Tribune that the team, to their utter surprise, had found eggs of dengue mosquitoes at a public hospital.
Mayo hospital’s alarming situation
“Doctors are also human beings. Many of them are terrified when they see mosquitoes droning menacingly at hospitals. These mosquitoes may inject the virus into healthy individuals,” a doctor working at Mayo hospital said. More than 25 doctors working for Mayo hospital have so far contracted dengue.
Also, a hospital employee named Muhammad Ayub had died of the disease.
“Several sewage pipes are leaking here which are perfect breeding places for mosquitoes. The pipes should be repaired and cleaned immediately,” another doctor, whose fellow doctors had contracted dengue, said.
Exhausting shifts and shortage of beds
Doctors and paramedical staff are doing exhausting 12-hour shifts due to the sheer load of patients. The number of patients who are approaching hospitals for blood tests is increasing on a daily basis. Hence availability of beds is scarce.
Principal Post Graduate Medical Institute and Lahore General Hospital (LGH) Professor Dr Tariq Salahuddin said LGH has a capacity of treating 1,000 patients, but currently almost 6,000 patients thronged to the hospital on a daily basis. “During the last 17 days, around 100,000 people approached LGH for treatment. Some 63,000 of them underwent CBC tests. A total of 273 patients were confirmed as dengue patients and three of them could not survive,” Salahuddin said.
He claimed that hospital records show that the ratio of patients falling victim to dengue is not more than 2 per cent, therefore the public should not be frightened.
Meanwhile, the number of dengue patients in Faisalabad has risen to 302, as 22 new cases have surfaced. (ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY SHAMSUL ISLAM)
Published in The Express Tribune, September 19th, 2011.
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There is no patient to doctor transmissiona nd vice versa. Doctors too get the Dengue virus after being bitten by the affected female mosquito of Aedes genus. They should save themselves while being exposed to the environemnts. Dengue uis a reality and it si with us but is a well known viral disease, which we ahve eben dealing in Pakistan for the last two decaded, without creating panic. While, I was working in Paksitan we have never shown so much despair and helplessness. One must realise that all cases might not be due to Dengue virus and clinical coincidence and mimickry might also be considered. People over report the cases during an epidemic. Health eduaction and taking preventive measures will help. Wait for the arrival of winter if you cannot do much in terms of environmental hygeine and persoanl protective measures.