Pakistan: Dengue fever death toll rises to 100, more than 10,000 cases

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Pakistan: Dengue fever death toll rises to 100, more than 10,000 cases

2011-09-26 21:23:36 GMT+7 (ICT)

LAHORE, PAKISTAN (BNO NEWS) -- The death toll as a result of Pakistan's dengue fever outbreak continues to rise at alarming rates as at least 100 people have now been confirmed dead, officials said on Monday. Thousands more have been sickened.

The ongoing outbreak is mostly affecting Pakistan's eastern province of Punjab and its capital of Lahore, where 9,148 cases were reported alone. More than 10,000 cases in total have been reported and, despite this, schools across the province are beginning to reopen.

Chief Minister of Punjab Shahbaz Sharif claimed that hospitals have been reorganized and set up to fight the epidemic, while the government is preparing to distribute around 500,000 kits consisting of coils, medicines and insecticides to kill mosquitoes, the Express Tribune reported.

Several groups have carried out awareness marches in Khanpur, Liaquatpur, Sadiqabad, Sargodha and Rahim Yar Khan where fumigation has been carried out. Sharif also urged residents to support the health measures being implemented by the government, which has been fumigating several parts of the region.

Meanwhile, officials from the World Health Organization (WHO) have arrived to help organize a strategy to fight the epidemic. Punjab officials have said schools in the province will be operating from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. local time following a 10-day closure.

Punjab provincial government officials previously announced that elementary schools, high schools, and colleges would be shut down for 10 days as officials reorganized their health measures to avoid further spreading of the epidemic. In addition, the schools were ordered to carry out fumigation at the schools during these days.

However, some 500 schools had been issued show-cause notices for not fumigating their school grounds despite government orders. Furthermore, officials warned school administrators that strict action would be taken against them if they did not comply with the orders.

The announcement of the school shut downs had been received with mixed reactions as some expressed concerns whether the school syllabus would be completed on time. However, schools have revised their scheduled calendars to make up for the time.

Last Wednesday, Punjab Chief Minister said only schools which have adequately carried out the instructed safety measures would be reopened. The committees in charge of overlooking the fumigation and health measures issued certificates to these schools, allowing them to reopen.

The outbreak is bringing increasing fear to both residents and medical teams. While locals continue to overflow at local hospitals and clinics to get their complete blood count tests, the virus seems to be affecting people at a constant rate. Usually, the dengue virus is most active during the initial phases of the outbreak, but the situation has not followed the typical epidemic cycle and is not weakening.

Furthermore, Sri Lankan specialists who have arrived in Pakistan to help fight the outbreak informed that the virus has contaminated hospitals in Lahore, increasing the number of victims.

At the start of the epidemic, the Punjab government was accused of criminal negligence for not being transparent about the outbreak. Advocate Noshab A Khan said that the outbreak had worsened because it had not been properly controlled during the early stages and the fumigation campaign had been of poor quality.

Dengue spreads more often after the rainy season when stagnant water on the streets may activate the breed of mosquitoes, causing dengue fever. Heavy monsoon rains in southeastern Pakistan have so far claimed the lives of some 300 people and displaced millions more.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-09-26