Dengue virus is spreading across the country, as three deaths were reported in Sukkur, Sargodha and Naushero Feroz. The total number of dengue cases has risen to 2,000 in Sindh, with 53 new cases being reported in Karachi, taking the total to 1,800 in the city.
In Punjab, a total number of 1,600 cases have been reported, with 194 new cases being reported in Lahore and six in Faisalabad. Out of the 493 reported cases in Rawalpindi, 437 have been discharged from the hospitals after treatment. In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the number of dengue patients up till now is 400. The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that the Congo virus is also spreading in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, and two people have died of the disease. By September, over 1,000 people had been diagnosed with the disease, but little to no action was observed on the part of various government agencies. Not even the ineffective method of spraying anti-mosquito spray in large quantities was witnessed. Some recent reports suggest that the outbreak may be controlled by falling temperatures and the onset of winter. And doctors in Rawalpindi have reported that the cases of dengue each day have reduced from 80 to 60. The credit for this reduction cannot be given to any government efforts, though. It seems that the government is happy to keep the current epidemic on the back pages. The case of the Sindh government is a striking one. Despite the thousands of cases in Karachi, the Sindh government has only deputed one individual to oversee the fight against the deadly disease. Last year, despite the fact that Rs41 million was allocated to the Dengue Prevention and Control Programme in Sindh, not a single rupee was spent as 1,700 people were infected with the disease in the province. The lack of effort is shocking. Pakistan, like many other countries, has yet to develop a method of completely eradicating the disease. However, the fact that it is not even doing what is in its control shows criminal negligence on the part of the state. The trouble is that most experts believe that the time to take action is long gone. Precautionary measures need to be taken in April and May to kill dengue-carrying mosquitoes from hatching. The outbreak is now expected to subside in the month of November with the cold weather setting in.
pk.shafaqna.com
