Dengue once again on attacking end

Apparently, all the claims made by Punjab government about the measures being taken by it to ensure Lahore, the metropolis city, and other cities did not suffer the kind of outbreak of dengue which crippled many lives last year, were nothing more than rhetoric.

Despite experts at conferences and seminars held in Lahore, Faisalabad and other places, released warnings about the dengue outbreak, saying this year could be even worse than in 2011. Level of panic is moving to rise as thoughts go back to the hundreds of deaths the virus caused last year.

The official figure stood at around 300. However, many believe that it could in real terms have been considerably higher with many deaths covered up at hospitals and others which occurred at home possibly not reported.

The summer has not been started and we are getting news that dozens of patients apparently infected with dengue have begun to pay visits to hospitals and clinics. There have been rumors of at least one death.

Although the government officials and senior doctors deny that the dengue nightmare is beginning all over again, a few still believe their accounts. However, what is most frightening is the warning by experts that the death toll could be higher than ever before because of the far larger population of previously infected people.

It is quite clear that dengue hits hard harder the second time round. Some accounts state there are more mosquitoes than ever before which carry the virus while there had also been published data about new and potentially more dangerous serotypes of the virus emerging.

What is totally contrast to previous information is that we are told the killer mosquito can breed in both stagnant and clean water and does not bite only at dusk and dawn.

Furthermore, the reemergence of the disease makes clear that the mass spraying campaign may not have worked and other measures may have been just as ineffective. The current state of affairs leave Lahore and other cities open to the possibility of yet another year where the fear of mosquitoes dominates lives.

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Posted by Faisal Farooq on Mar 12 2012. Filed under Pakistan. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.