PAKISTAN: Dengue danger returns to Punjab

Photo: WHO

The 'Aedes aegypti' mosquito which is the carrier of dengue fever

LAHORE, 29 March 2009 (IRIN) - With warmer weather returning to Punjab, Pakistan’s most populous province, the vector-borne dengue fever virus has also returned, say officials. Six patients have been diagnosed with dengue in 2009 so far, according to Anwar Saeed Mirza, an additional medical superintendent at Services Hospital in Lahore, the Punjab capital.

The most recent case was on 27 March, when Shafiq Ahmed was diagnosed with dengue at Services Hospital. His condition is said to be critical.

Last year, 1,240 cases of dengue were reported in the province. There had also been six deaths.

Dengue fever is spread by the bite of the striped Aedes Aegypti mosquito. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), dengue occurs in tropical and sub-tropical areas of the world. Symptoms appear 3-14 days after the infective bite. Dengue fever is a febrile illness that affects infants, young children and adults. Symptoms range from a mild fever to an incapacitating high fever with severe headache, pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pain, and a rash.

There are no specific antiviral medicines for dengue and the use of acetylsalicylic acid (such as aspirin) and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (such as ibuprofen) is not recommended. The most important advice is to drink lots of water.

Occasionally, people suffering from dengue bleed from the nose, gums or skin, which often indicates dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF), which is potentially lethal and affects children mostly.

Dengue cases

Experts have been urging action to prevent a dengue epidemic in 2009. In November last year, Javed Akram, the principle of Allama Iqbal Medical College (AIMC), told the media there was an urgent need to effectively tackle the disease. He had said at the time that if “effective prevention of the disease is not carried out, the country could be suffering from an epidemic next year”.

With the first cases of the viral disease already coming in, doctors fear the situation could worsen rapidly.

“We need to remind people of the need for safety measures, like ensuring there is no standing water in their homes. The government must also urgently begin a spraying campaign at breeding places,” Faiza Riaz, a family physician, said.

Punjab health secretary Anwar Ahmed Khan has promised the government will undertake measures to tackle dengue and said the spraying of residential areas had been ordered.

According to WHO, the incidence of dengue has grown dramatically around the world in recent decades. Some 2.5 billion people – two fifths of the world's population – are now at risk from dengue. WHO currently estimates there may be 50 million dengue infections worldwide every year.

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