Due to poor strategy of Punjab Health Department and District Administration of Lahore, dengue is on the rise in the provincial capital and according to the latest data obtained by the health department, the number of confirmed patients in Lahore only has exceeded 2,708 while the number of patients in Punjab is more than 3,475.
Imran Sikandar Baloch, Secretary, Primary and Health Secretary, informed that 442 dengue patients were admitted in the hospitals of the province while 173 dengue patients were admitted in the hospitals of Lahore.
On the other hand, an official of the health department claimed that 430,624 indoor places across Punjab have been checked and in Lahore only, 8,725 outdoor places were checked. The official added that larvae were also destroyed from 1,530 indoor and outdoor places in Lahore.
On the other hand, the sources in district administration Lahore believed that dengue outbreaks in the city was not checked in a timely manner.
“It has been raining recently and these areas have not been fully inspected. If you look closely, most of the areas in the city have poor sanitation while drainage system is also inadequate. The District Administration and Health Department staff was busy campaigning for polio, typhoid and coronavirus diseases. Hence, the risk of dengue was overlooked,” he said.
Even now, the officials added, most of the areas of the city, especially the vicinity of Band Road, are hotbeds of dengue mosquito generation. Similarly, there are areas near Dubanpura, Ichhra, Samanabad, Gulshan-e-Ravi, Muslim Town, Walton Road, Ferozepur Road, Harbanspura, Shad Bagh and Wagah border where sewage water has inundated roads and teams from the administration do not arrive in these areas on time, that is why Lahore has the highest number of dengue cases this time.
Punjab Health Minister Dr. Yasmeen Rashid also admits that this time around, Lahore has the highest number of dengue cases. According to minister, Rawalpindi was the epicenter of the last wave of dengue while Lahore is the epicenter of the current wave.
She informed that the highest number of dengue cases were reported from DHA in Lahore while 55,000 houses have been surveyed in Lahore out of which dengue larvae have been found in 1719 houses.
The minister added that around 50 houses where larvae are found are also sprayed with anti-dengue spray.
The Health Minister inaugurated the 280-bed Dengue Field Hospital at the Expo Center Lahore here on Sunday and visited various counters of the hospital to inspect the medical facilities for the patients.
Later, speaking to the media, the minister informed that the health department was using all its resources to control dengue.
Speaking about the field hospitals, she said that all facilities including doctors, nurses, paramedical staff, oxygen supply and medicines have been provided there for the convenience of the patients. Prof. Dr. Aslam Khan was also appointed as the focal person of Dengue Field Hospital.
While giving the number, the minister informed that in Lahore, 28 dengue patients were undergoing treatment in critical condition whereas during the last 24 hours, 177 cases of dengue have been reported in Lahore.
However, sources in the health department claim that in addition to all these facilities, if the district administration conducts a thorough field inspection in a timely manner, the rate of cases can be reduced.
The spokesperson for the District Administration Lahore informed Pakistan Today that a meeting was held two days back under the chairmanship of Deputy Commissioner Lahore Umar Sher Chatha in connection with the anti-dengue campaign in which Additional Deputy Commissioner General Shahid Abbas Kathia and other officers were present.
The spokesperson added that instructions had been issued by the DC to closely monitor the dengue surveillance and special attention must be paid to 17,000 hotspots of dengue epidemic.
“DC Lahore has directed the officers to closely monitor dengue and strictly monitor the attendance and performance of dengue workers and take action against those who are absent from duty,” he informed.
According to the spokesman, officers were conducting surveillance throughout the city.
“The Assistant Commissioner (AC) City Faizan Ahmed visited UC-09 in Lahore and inspected a private factory there. When the larvae were found in the factory, one person was arrested and an FIR was also registered. Similarly, AC Cantt Zeeshan Nasrullah Ranjha visited Eden Society Phase 8 to review indoor and outdoor dengue surveillance and registered 02 FIRs,” he concluded.
