THE return of mild weather and a growing number of cases of people down with fever in Lahore have reignited fears of dengue, which are compounded by uninformed discussions. Confusion reigns. A news item about an anti-dengue spray drive by the Lahore Development Authority competes for attention with a newspaper advertisement by the Punjab government that as of now there is no need for an anti-dengue spray campaign. Below the surface is a divide in the committee that has been debating for one month the merits and timing of a fogging campaign. While there may be good reasons why the drive has been put on hold, an effective explanation so far eludes the public.
There are a few other points which need elaboration. It stands against reason that some senior professors did not accompany the teams that went to Thailand and Sri Lanka recently to learn fromthese two countries` experience with dengue. These professors were supposed to pass on what they learned to doctors in Lahore. If the government does not favour fogging right away, whose idea was it to buy insecticide that will expire in a few months` time? Also, last year, suspected dengue patients underwent IgA and IgM tests; a patient had to be infected and suffer from dengue for four or five days to test positive. This year the emphasis, at least in the news, has shifted to NS1 a test which enables the rapid detection of dengue. This is an advancement, but it is not clear just how many local laboratories can carry out the effective if somewhat expensive test that promises early treatment of dengue and thus promises to save lives. The NS1 mystery is a giveaway. It sums up a lack of bias for the scientific in a government that finds it easy to blame the disease on nature.
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