Misleading figures: Shahbaz Sharif's Punjab omits dengue deaths from datasheet

After 2011, the country was once again in the grip of a dengue fever outbreak this year, which exposed the poor preparations and management of health departments to address patients.

In order to hide their incompetence, most health departments provided misleading statistics about the total number of positive cases reported in their respective districts. For the year 2013, the Punjab government has not mentioned even a single death in its annual datasheet, which created a false impression that the situation was under control, misleading higher-ups and stakeholders. The data sheet shows that so far, 1,132 positive cases of dengue fever have been reported in Punjab, but there were no fatalities. Of these, 457 cases were reported from Rawalpindi district.

“Most health officials are close to doctors at public hospitals and they usually ask them not to report dengue fever cases as it would affect their performance,” said an official at the Holy Family Hospital (HFH) who wished not to be named. A major reason behind the dengue outbreak in Rawalpindi district is underreporting of cases, he added. “The health department usually highlights its efficiency by releasing news to the media about the occasional arrests of shopkeepers for providing favourable breeding sites to dengue mosquitoes, but health officials don’t arrest municipal officials responsible for keeping the city clean [when they fail to do so],” said the official. They usually wait for winter as they believe that a drop in the mercury will end dengue mosquito breeding, he stated.

Health officials from the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) claim they collected around 130 tons of garbage from rural areas in a bid to eliminate mosquito breeding grounds. However, while visiting some of the suburbs of the capital, one could see heaps of garbage lying everywhere. The best example is Bhara Kahu, where there are heaps of garbage near the Rural Health Centre on Simly Dam Road and the bed of Korang River.

Talking to The Express Tribune, ICT Dengue Control Surveillance Cell In-charge Dr Najeeb Durrani said all-out efforts had been made to control the spread of dengue fever in the capital and this is reflected in improvements in garbage collection in rural areas such as Bhara Kahu and Tarlai. According to him, 128 positive cases of dengue fever have been reported in the capital this year — 49 from rural areas and 79 from urban areas.

Dr Muhammad Saleem Rana, a vector control expert and former associate professor at Health Services Academy (HSA) said, “There is a need for a third-party evaluation on the continuation of disease surveillance, and the time it takes to treat a case once it is reported.” The third party should also check to what extent these activities meet international standards, he added. “New research on the serotypes of dengue virus and the mosquito should be conducted to control the disease.”