Mosquitoes are back, but govt no better prepared

Despite last year’s epidemic, issue remains in freefall.

ISLAMABAD:

After wrecking havoc in the country last year, dengue fever is reportedly ready to strike again. The government, according to an official, is again not better prepared.

Speaking with The Express Tribune on Tuesday, a senior Capital Administration and Development Division official on the condition of anonymity, said the Prime Minister’s special initiative project is still awaiting the release of funds. The initial funds allocated were Rs59 million which was later cut to Rs39.5 million.

The plan was first approved by the Departmental Development Working Party on November 14, 2011 to overcome and control dengue and pollen outbreaks, both of which affected the city severely in 2011.

According to official estimates, in 2011 over 1,000 dengue cases were reported in Sindh with a whopping 16,000 cases from Punjab alone, where Lahore accounted for 14,000 cases. In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, there were 126 cases of dengue while in Islamabad, 634 confirmed cases out of a suspected 900 were reported.

An official who deals with drugs used in fogging for the elimination of mosquitoes, claimed that in the past year the drugs purchased by the government from the open market were substandard and failed to produce the desired result. This was further proved by the Drug Testing Laboratory (DTL) Lahore when the drugs - Delta Mathrin, Permethrin and Fenthion - failed to completely stop the mosquito epidemic.

“The cases [of dengue] that are being reported are a clear indication of their [drugs] quality, because the temperatures are still low but the mosquitoes are active enough to bite people,” he said. He added that without ensuring the quality of the drugs, the government cannot hope to effectively control the dengue mosquito.

Health Service Academy Assistant Professor of Medical Entomology Dr Muhammad Saleem said adding that despite last year’s catastrophic dengue epidemic, the government had only overcome three problems. These included human resource development, logistic procurement and awareness. The government ignored the remaining two: immediate case notification and the implementation of a proper mechanism for solid waste management disposal. He added that since there is a favourable environment for the transmission and breeding of dengue mosquito, cases have started being reported. “Unless these are not eliminated, the cases will continue to pile up,” he said.

By official accounts, there were only a handful of cases reported in Lahore by February 25 but once the media became active, over 100 cases came into the light. “It is the responsibility of the health staff of both public and private hospitals to immediately notify the public to ensure prompt action,” he said.

“In recent international meetings some countries have expressed the concern over the spread of dengue fever, fearing that if the vector-borne disease is not controlled, it may reach out of Pakistan’s borders,” Saleem said.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 29^th, 2012.