Fear of the black and white striped mosquito responsible for spreading dengue fever has been keeping thousands of people indoors across the Pakistani provinces of Sindh and the Punjab.
Levels of concern have risen sharply, since the first cases of dengue virus - causing high fever, severe body aches and sometimes death if left untreated - were reported several weeks ago. There have been at least 20 deaths, almost all in the southern province of Sindh.
But the disease has now reached the Punjab. One woman suspected of having the disease in the town of Chakwal, about 80 km south of the federal capital Islamabad, died three days ago.
The deadly virus, carried by the Aedes mosquito, is not normally a hazard in Pakistan. Indeed little is known about the disease in the country, with some doctors in Lahore confessing they were forced to look up text books to confirm causes and symptoms, after first reports of the disease came in.
Dengue is more commonly found in South East Asia – but this year, it has rampaged across India with scores hospitalised. There have been at least 93 confirmed dengue deaths in India over the past six weeks.
Abdul Majeed, an official in the Sindh health department, told IRIN: “the situation is being closely monitored and we have set up special centers in hospitals.”
The warning signals from India and Sindh however do not appear to have been heeded by the government in the Punjab. Sources in the Punjab health department conceded they were taken “unaware” by the first reported cases, and struggled to devise a strategy.
“Dengue is often mistaken for flu, at least at first. Then the more severe symptoms, such as joint pain, eye pain, muscular aches and nausea usually strike,” Dr Asad Munir, a physician in Lahore, told IRIN
As the virus from infected mosquitoes expands its hold across Pakistan, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has called for “International experts to be consulted” to help cope with the situation. The Chief Minister of the Punjab province, Chaudhry Pervez Ellahi, is also reported to have sought daily situation reports on the dengue situation to be provided to him.
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Levels of concern have risen sharply, since the first cases of dengue virus - causing high fever, severe body aches and sometimes death if left untreated - were reported several weeks ago. There have been at least 20 deaths, almost all in the southern province of Sindh.
But the disease has now reached the Punjab. One woman suspected of having the disease in the town of Chakwal, about 80 km south of the federal capital Islamabad, died three days ago.
The deadly virus, carried by the Aedes mosquito, is not normally a hazard in Pakistan. Indeed little is known about the disease in the country, with some doctors in Lahore confessing they were forced to look up text books to confirm causes and symptoms, after first reports of the disease came in.
Dengue is more commonly found in South East Asia – but this year, it has rampaged across India with scores hospitalised. There have been at least 93 confirmed dengue deaths in India over the past six weeks.
Abdul Majeed, an official in the Sindh health department, told IRIN: “the situation is being closely monitored and we have set up special centers in hospitals.”
The warning signals from India and Sindh however do not appear to have been heeded by the government in the Punjab. Sources in the Punjab health department conceded they were taken “unaware” by the first reported cases, and struggled to devise a strategy.
“Dengue is often mistaken for flu, at least at first. Then the more severe symptoms, such as joint pain, eye pain, muscular aches and nausea usually strike,” Dr Asad Munir, a physician in Lahore, told IRIN
As the virus from infected mosquitoes expands its hold across Pakistan, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has called for “International experts to be consulted” to help cope with the situation. The Chief Minister of the Punjab province, Chaudhry Pervez Ellahi, is also reported to have sought daily situation reports on the dengue situation to be provided to him.
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This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
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