Fight against Dengue

[shallowwater]

As we all know that Dengue fever has spread to most parts of Punjab, i would like to draw the attention of respected members towards the fact that we should support the government at this time instead of just heaping criticism on the government. We must be united at this hour of need and must take care of our loved ones. This is the time to show our strength at this critical moment. The media must highlight the damage caused by dengue but it must not play politics. The government obviously is trying to cope with this menace but the severity and the timing of its attack is beyond any one's imagination. So as a nation we have to stand behind our government. This is not the right time for politics, lets keep politics aside and think about the brothers and sisters affected from this lethal disease.

[Call for Change]

Exactly right . instead of blaming the government we should take preventive measures . we can do a lot for ourselves. Literally I am impressed by the measures taken by Punjab Government but I feel sad to see the negative response and coverage of media.

[shrd]

Pakistani authorities, already under pressure to help hundreds of thousands of flood victims, are struggling to contain dengue fever which has killed at least eight people, officials said on Wednesday.

Around 4,400 cases of the mosquito-borne disease have been reported in the central Punjab province over the past two months, forcing the provincial government on Tuesday to close down schools for 10 days.

Most of the cases have been reported in Lahore, the provincial capital, where about 2,950 people tested positive.

"So far, eight people have died of dengue. We are trying our best to control this epidemic," Jehanzeb Khan, secretary of the provincial health department, told Reuters.

Health experts say the illness is spreading across the Punjab because of poor hygiene conditions, and heavy monsoon rain provides ideal conditions for dengue-carrying mosquitoes to thrive in stagnant waters.

The first case of dengue was reported in Pakistan in 1994.

Those who died included Ataullah Siddiqui, head of the provincial department of minerals and natural resources.

Khan said the government had launched a fumigation drive to kill mosquitoes.

Sri Lanka is sending a team of experts to Pakistan to help fight the disease, the Sri Lankan High Commission said in a statement.

Pakistan's weak civilian government, struggling to deal with floods that have killed 266 people, has been criticized by the media for dragging its feet on the dengue issue.

"The response to dengue has been adhoc, ex post, and therefore reactionary at best," The News daily said in its editorial.

The disease is a threat to nearly half of the world's population. Of the estimated 220 million people infected each year, two million -- mostly children in Latin America and Asia -- develop a severe form called dengue hemorrhagic fever.

There is currently no cure or vaccine for dengue fever.

[Taimoor Gondal]

Originally Posted by shallowwater

As we all know that Dengue fever has spread to most parts of Punjab, i would like to draw the attention of respected members towards the fact that we should support the government at this time instead of just heaping criticism on the government. We must be united at this hour of need and must take care of our loved ones. This is the time to show our strength at this critical moment. The media must highlight the damage caused by dengue but it must not play politics. The government obviously is trying to cope with this menace but the severity and the timing of its attack is beyond any one's imagination. So as a nation we have to stand behind our government. This is not the right time for politics, lets keep politics aside and think about the brothers and sisters affected from this lethal disease.

rightly said... some problems are not man made and this Dengue is one of those problems... but some peolple started politics on this sensitive matter. we should be united at this crucial time. and politics should be avoided in matters of sensitivity and in those matters where National interest is damaged by politics