Dengue cases on the rise in Pakistan, government fails to compile statistics

 
While Pakistan is preparing for the largest campaign against measles and rubella in the history of the world, so far no arrangements have been made to compile statistics on the rapidly growing dengue cases and deaths in the country. 

According to the report, public health and medical experts have warned that the number of dengue patients in Punjab is increasing alarmingly, where more than 500 people recently tested positive for dengue and 18 patients in just one day. 

The outbreak of dengue set a new record in 2019 when about 50,000 cases of mosquito-borne disease were reported and at least 79 patients lost their lives.

For more than a decade, there has been a proper arrangement for compiling new cases and related deaths at the national level and releasing them to the media on a daily basis for public awareness.

However, with the government focusing on Code 19, there is no such arrangement this year.

In the past, Director General of Health Dr. Rana Safdar compiled the dengue data and provided it to the provinces, all stakeholders and the media, a National Health Ministry official said on condition of anonymity.

However, this year, Dr. Rana Safdar is looking into the matter and it seems that not a single person in the Ministry and the National Institutes of Health is capable of compiling and updating the data, but also the data of Islamabad. Health Officer Dr. Zaeem Zia is compiling.

A senior NHS official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the health ministry should be asked to compile the data at the national level.

"We have capable people, but the Ministry of Health should take such steps, but unfortunately the ministry did not prioritize the issue," he added.

He said that the ministry claims that it is dealing with the code 19 data effectively and professionally but we doubt whether the ministry, without the cooperation of the public relations department of the Pakistan Army, has been able to handle this data able to handle.

Pakistan has experienced several outbreaks of dengue since 1994 and major outbreaks were reported in 2005, 2011 and 2019.

About 6,000 cases of dengue and 52 deaths were reported in Karachi during 2005, more than 21,000 cases were reported in Lahore with 350 deaths in 2011 and about 50,000 cases and 79 deaths were reported in 2019.

When asked who is dealing with the dengue statistics at the national level, Sajid Shah, spokesman for the Ministry of National Health, expressed ignorance.

Pakistan, on the other hand, is preparing for the international measles and rubella campaign.

According to a statement from the Ministry of Health, Dr. Faisal Sultan, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Health, chaired a meeting of a key National Inter-Institutional Coordination Committee (NICC) chaired by the World Health Organization, GAVI, UNICEF and others. It was set up in the context of a high-level 'partner mission' consisting of members of leading organizations.

Last week, the Global Rubella Measles Mission visited Pakistan and met with representatives at the federal and provincial levels of Immunization (EPI), Polio Emergency Operations Centers, UNICEF, WHO and all other stakeholders.

The main agenda of the visit was to include a global strategy in the preparation and implementation of the Measles and Rubella Campaign in Pakistan.

In addition, the mission discussed appropriate human resources, especially female vaccinators, barrier awareness and in particular the MR campaign and Code 19 vaccinations, vaccinations for schools and madrassas and out-of-school children. He also made recommendations to all stakeholders in this regard.