Viral infections on the rise in the capital

Number of children suffering from viral infections like influenza, conjunctivitis and bronchitis rise.

ISLAMABAD: A decrease in temperature in the capital has brought with it a rise in the number of children suffering from viral infections like influenza, conjunctivitis and bronchitis.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Dr Haider Shirazi, a senior child specialist at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) said that on average, around 70 per cent of the children who visit the hospital’s out patient department suffer from one or more of these viral infections.

Similarly, Dr Mohammad Saleh, a child specialist at the Polyclinic Hospital, said that he diagnosed around 70 to 75 patients daily with one of these diseases. “Runny noses, soar throats, respiratory disorders are common viral infections that are on the rise,” Shirazi said. “The recent rains and floods have accelerated the spread of these infections amongst children who are not properly taken care of.”

He added that negligence in preventive measures against these diseases could lead to pneumonia among children. “We do not recommend heavy doses of medicines, but ask parents to include warm liquids in the child’s everyday diet,” he said.

Dr Saleh said children aged 3 to 8 years are more vulnerable to this viral infection as their immune systems are weaker. He expressed concern over the lack of awareness amongst parents about the spread of seasonal diseases and preventive measures.

Speaking to The Express Tribune earlier, Dr Samama Hayyat, an Ophthalmologist at PIMS, also stressed the need for more awareness amongst the public to prevent the spread of these infections.

Dr Sharif Astori, Spokesman Polyclinic, urged the government to run awareness campaigns about seasonal diseases so that people could become aware of precautionary measures.

“The government mostly focuses on serious health issues like HIV/AIDS, Tuberculoses (TB) but ignores the ones that affects common people on a large scale,”Astori said.

He also felt that the recent spread of conjunctivitis in the capital could also have been reduced had the government run a campaign on how to prevent the spread of the infection. “In the last few weeks, about 180 to 200 patients suffering from this eye infection visit the hospital daily,” he added.

However, Dr Hassan Orooj, CDA Health Officer, said that CDA had initiated awareness campaigns through the media and by the distribution of pamphlets. “We could have done it sooner, but we were busy in flood relief activities,” he said. Moreover, he added that the lack of funds also results in the scarcity of awareness campaigns.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 21^st, 2010.