‘This is the most prepared the city govt has been in several years’

Health Department officials satisfied with efforts to fight dengue in Lahore.

LAHORE: While it was initially reported that 29-year-old Gul Sameera’s death was due to dengue, in reality, the District Health Officer (DHO) told The Express Tribune, Sameera died due to meningitis in Shalimar Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit. “Sameera was rushed to the hospital on Thursday and died because of blood clotting in her brain capillaries due to meningitis and not dengue,” said DHO Babar Bherwana.

Interestingly enough, Executive District Officer (Health) Dr Fayyaz Ranjha was suspended by the chief minister yesterday, reportedly, due to his failure to launch an effective campaign to fight dengue.

Punjab Health Secretary Fawad Hassan Fawad visited Mayo Hospital and Sir Ganga Ram Hospital to review the free treatment and diagnostic arrangements for dengue. Sir Ganga Ram Hospital medical superintendent (MS) Dr Ejaz Shiekh told Fawad that since October 3, 38 patients suffering from dengue have been admitted, 24 of those are undergoing treatment while the rest have been discharged after recovery.

Sheikh said that these patients belonged to the areas of Garhi Shahu, Allama Iqbal Town, Model Town, Muzang, Samanabad, Anarkali and Sandha.

Fawad directed the administration to organise an awareness seminar about dengue fever on October 25. He directed that doctors from other medical colleges and hospitals should be invited to participate in the seminar. It would provide an opportunity to exchange knowledge and experiences of the diseases which could help initiate research on this disease, he added.

At Mayo Hospital, Fawad was briefed that between October 11 to October 21, 54 dengue patients had been admitted, 15 of which were still under hospital care.

Mayo Hospital MS Dr Zahid Pervaiz said that the treatment and diagnostic facilities along with the provision of platelets is being given free of charge.

Fawad inquired after the health of every patient. He directed that a Senior Registrar be deputed for monitoring the patients around the clock.

Allah Rakha, a spray inspector for Shalimar Town, said, “We have covered the required areas and broken the circle of wherever the mosquitoes were breeding.”

Rakha said that the Health Department had done its job and the recently reported cases were mainly due to clean water sitting on lawns. He said that now they were using an Internal Resident Spray to target individual cases.

Rakha said that dengue cases will be less in the coming months and that dengue was not a fatal disease. He said doctors were working closely with the spray teams.

Dr Abdul Sattar said that the government had been working closely with the local hospitals to provide adequate treatment. He said that the hospitals and local teams were dealing with each complaint to minimise the effects of dengue. Sattar said that this was the most prepared the city government had been in the past few years.

A Gulberg resident said that the city government had eradicated a large amount of mosquitoes in the area which had led to the decrease of fear prevalent in the city. He said the public was aware of the precautions and services available.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 23^rd, 2010.