Thin attendance at Lahore schools due to Pink Eye infection

Conjunctivitis, commonly known as Pink Eye, is spreading rapidly among students of government schools in Lahore, compelling them to stay away from educational institutions, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Monday.

Conjunctivitis is an eye condition caused by infection or allergies. It usually gets better in a couple of weeks without any treatment. 

Conjunctivitis or Pink Eye infection has become viral in Lahore. Students are catching it more rapidly from each other. It has been observed that the presence of students in schools has drastically reduced due to the outbreak of Pink Eye.

Punjab Teachers Union demanded of the government to provide free eye drops to the infected students.

PTU Secretary General Rana Liaquat also called upon the education authorities to exempt infected students from classroom attendance.

As many as 85 new cases of Pink Eye infection have been reported in Lahore in the last 24 hours.

Conjunctivitis usually affects both eyes and makes them become red, watery, burning, feeling gritty, and producing pus that sticks to lashes.

Doctors have advised that the best way to treat Pink Eye is to boil water and let it cool down before the affected person gently wipes his eyelashes to clean off crusts with a clean cotton wool pad (1 piece for each eye). Hold a cold flannel on the eyes of the infected person for a few minutes to cool them down, they said.

They also advised the infected people to wear black glasses and take other precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the disease.

Ophthalmologists have suggested people to avoid eye contact with infected people as there is a threat of catching the infection.

Doctors have advised the infected people to wash their hands regularly with warm soapy water and wash their pillowcases and face cloths in hot water and detergent. They asked them to cover their mouth and nose when sneezing and put used tissues in the bin.

Meanwhile, the Punjab province is facing a double whammy as it is also being hit by another eye treatment dilemma due to an adulterated injection that has caused vision impairment among several patients.

The health minister said Sunday that an injectable medicine that was causing a severe eye infection and sight loss in diabetic patients in the province of Punjab was recalled and an investigation ordered while police were looking for the suppliers.

Federal Health Minister Nadeem Jan said in Islamabad that a case was lodged against the two absconding suppliers of locally manufactured injection Avastin.

The Punjab government has formed a five-member committee of experts to look into the matter and report in three days.

In a televised news conference along with Jan, provincial Health Minister Jamal Nasir said diabetic patients in Lahore, Kasur and other districts were administered Avastin injections to address retinal damage. However, the injections led to severe infections, ultimately resulting in the loss of sight of a dozen patients.

 

Reporter Junaid Riaz