LAHORE: There is no let up in the spread of the pink-eye also known as conjunctivitis and the number of infected persons has shot up rapidly.
The number of patients suffering from conjunctivitis has now reached thousands, and the hospitals are running out of their capacity to accommodate them.
Medical experts have advised the people suffering from conjunctivitis to be careful and wash their hands frequently with soap.
On the orders of Punjab caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi, all the government and private schools remained closed on Thursday. The schools will now open on Monday when children suffering from conjunctivitis will be checked by teachers themselves at the main entrance of schools. The affected children will not be allowed to attend schools.
In order to prevent the growing epidemic of conjunctivitis , Lahore General Hospital has taken another positive step and established a regular helpline on which citizens while sitting at home can get medical advice and proper guidance from Ophthalmologists from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM daily.
Principal PGMI Prof Al-Fareed Zafar appreciating this initiative said that any citizen can contact at 042-99268877 or 042-99268816 and get full awareness about conjunctivitis. It is mentionable that this helpline will remain open at Eid Milad-ul-Nabi, Sunday and other public holidays.
Senior Ophthalmologist Dr Arooj Amjad highlighted preventive measures on conjunctivitis and informed that everyone should wash hands frequently and avoid touching eyes while keeping their personal items such as towels, handkerchiefs, pillows etc away from others.
Dr Arooj Amjad further said that the citizens should also avoid shaking hands with each other as this may spread this eye’s infection as well. She added that one should not use any medicine without consulting doctors properly, moreover, keep splashing your eyes with clean water so that germs do not stay their easily.
Principal PGMI Prof Al-Fareed Zafar told media said that conjunctivitis’ patients should avoid going to crowded places to keep this epidemic in limits. He said that the purpose of launching the helpline is to provide the citizens with the facility of getting guidance from doctors at home so that they can avoid unnecessary travel and also can save other citizens from this rapidly increasing epidemic of eyes.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023