Pakistan looks helpless in fight against dengue outbreak

Sitting at the hospital stairs with her head down between knees Sakeena Bibi, 55 years old, looked much worried about her young son who was suffering dengue fever in the central hospital of Pakistani capital Islamabad. "Some twenty days ago, he caught fever with severe pain in muscles and joints, when we came here he was diagnosed dengue virus affected" said Bibi while adding "day by day he is going down, they (doctors) say his blood has become very weak to defend the disease." Bibi's worries were multiplied many times since she heard about the death of a dengue affected young girl among her relatives in country's eastern city of Lahore, the worst hit city of Pakistani province Punjab where at least 297 people have died of dengue till Monday. The dengue, widespread mosquito-borne infection in the human beings, has terrorized the whole population of Pakistan as the death toll has risen to 331 across the country, according to sources from different hospitals. In recent years, dengue has become a major, international public health concern in around 100 countries in Africa, the Eastern Mediterranean, North and South America, Western Pacific, and South-East Asia including Pakistan. Dengue, an acute febrile disease spread by the bite of the female mosquito (Aedes Aegypti) has been in Pakistan for the last few years. It spreads most often after the rainy season in July and August when pools of standing water serve as ideal mosquito breeding points. "Dengue affected patient carries sever flue like illness with fever, headache, muscle and joint pains, ands reduces blood platelets count markedly which can be very fatal for life due to lack of immunity," said Dr. Fatima Batool, who is treating the dengue patients in Islamabad. The record shows that from January 1 to Sept. 18 only 50 people died of Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF) but in next 36 days 281 people died which showed the severity of the epidemic. Independent figures told that more than 35,000 people have been diagnosed with dengue virus but government's health department rejected these figures said only around 20,000 people were affected and 273 died. All the major state run hospitals in provincial capital of Lahore like; Mayo Hospital, Jinnah Hospital, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Sheikh Zayed Hospital, Institute of Public Health, children's Hospital and Lahore General Hospital, were jam-packed with dengue patients. Dr. Mushtaq Ahmad from Islamabad told Xinhua on Monday that despite we have set up isolation and separate wards for such patients in hospitals but factually disease was looking out of control. According to official figures, so far 18,235 dengue patients have recovered and been discharged from various hospitals in Punjab province out of which, 16,270 belonged to Lahore alone. Officials told that at present, 1,585 dengue patients were under treatment at different hospitals of the country but independent monitors of the disease rejected the official figures and described the picture more severely. Media reports showed that around 400 new patients averagely were being diagnosed across the country on daily basis. During this anti-dengue campaign at least seven members of the medical staff, responsible for attending dengue patients, also died of dengue besides one member of the provincial assembly. Although the Pakistani govt. made a number of cosmetic arrangements like media campaign, distribution of pamphlets, nothing succeeded to eradicate or slowdown killer mosquitoes' attacks. The health authorities have been desperately struggling to overcome the epidemic since the start of July but the situation could not be controlled yet. The much needed actions like fumigation drive was declared inefficient and insufficient by the people, though the government claimed that almost all the cities and towns have so far been sprayed. On the request of the Punjab government, teams of Sri Lankan and Indonesian doctors arrived in Lahore, where they conducted many meetings with Pakistani health experts to devise some solid strategy to deal with the virus besides advising to increase spray in houses and dry the water. These medical teams provided training and knowledge to the local doctors and paramedical staffs regarding dengue virus and its treatment. Dr. Batool said that there was no method or trick to diagnose a mosquito if he is carrying dengue virus or not but therefore the best way is to protect from all mosquitoes. Dengue mosquitoes breed in stored or exposed water collection systems like; barrels, plant saucers, flower vases drums, jars, pots, buckets, tanks, discarded bottles, open tyres, and other places where rain water can be stored. The health experts from Sir Lanka, a country that experienced facing the disease for last 35 years, described that dengue mosquito lays eggs at a dry place and after pouring of water on these eggs, larva and then mosquito breeds. The government of the Punjab province has also announced a financial assistance of half a million rupees (5747 U.S.dollars) to the heirs of all those who died due to dengue virus. The business activities have been badly affected due to virus threat in Lahore, one of the main financial cities of Pakistan, as the people have stopped traveling to Lahore. Despite govt. has been providing free treatment at state run hospitals and financial aid for dead person's heirs, common people believed that govt. has failed to deal with the epidemic. They demanded the authorities to take solid steps under a well devised strategy to eradicate the virus from the country permanently.