Deadly spray

Two incidents that took place at girls schools in Punjab within a few days of each other are a cause of extreme alarm. On Saturday, over 125 students of the Domali Girls High School in Jhelum were rushed to hospital after being exposed to anti-dengue fumigation which was carried out at their school a day before on Friday. The effects of the spray were so harsh that they were felt a day later, with the victims in some cases saying they were unable to breathe. The incident took place just two days after similar spraying at the Government Girls High School in Jand, Attock led to nearly 100 girls being affected by the chemicals used. Around 10 to 20 of the victims had to be admitted to the local hospital, where insufficient facilities made matters worse. Again, the girls had difficulty breathing and complained of a burning sensation on the skin and inside their throats. Provincial Education Minister Rana Mashood has said that strict instructions had been given about spraying after the Jand incident, but it seems these were ignored. The Punjab chief minister has suspended the DCOs and EDOs of Jhelum and Jand. The chief minister has also ordered the spray samples from both schools to be tested. According to reports, the Jhelum school’s principal, two security guards, and two other persons have also been rounded up.
There is no doubt that we need an anti-dengue campaign. But we also need to ensure it is safe for people who live where they are carried out. The purpose, after all, is to eliminate the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, which carries dengue, and not the humans who fall victim to it. The intensity of the incidents suggests the spraying was carried out in a dangerous fashion and whatever chemicals used seemed to have been far too potent for humans to have been exposed to in this fashion. It was clearly unsafe to spray classrooms or other school premises while pupils were present there. In the past too, residents of Lahore localities have complained of eye irritations and other problems after dengue fumigation in their areas. This is a matter that cannot be taken lightly. The priority must be to protect people and carry out spraying either when schools are closed or at least ask pupils, teachers or the residents of areas where spraying is scheduled to leave their homes for the required period of time. We need to know why this is not happening. It is also peculiar that both incidents took place at schools for girls. It is unclear why this should happen. We hope a full investigation will be conducted and that there will be no repetition of the kind of panic and physical pain created by this careless bout of fumigation spraying.