Rawalpindi:
When the outbreak of conjunctivitis (pink eye) spreads over rawalpindi and Islamabad, prices of related drugs – including eye drops and rose water – have risen in the open market, while essential eye drops for conjunctivitis have reportedly disappeared from local stores.
With the rising costs of these treatments, the number of conjunctivitis cases increases at an alarming speed. For the past three days, nearly 2,964 patients suffering from conjunctivitis have visited Rawalpindis Three major eye hospitals: Holy Family Hospital, District Headquarters Hospital, Benazir Bhutto Hospital and Cantonment Hospital.
Private hospitals and local clinics also see long queues of patients. A large number of families across the twin towns have been affected, yet neither District’s Health Department nor the District Administration has initiated any attention campaign or issued a public announcement on the issue. This lack of action contributes to the growing number of cases.
As the situation worsens, local pharmacies have raised the prices of all related eye drops that were previously available to the RS90, but are now sold for as much as RS160.
Dr. Inayat, the Deputy Medical Superintendent at BBH, emphasized that conjunctivitis is a very contagious disease. If a person in a household, office or school is infected, the infection can quickly spread to others, he added.
“The infection can be transmitted through handshakes, shared towels or tools or by close contact with an infected person. To prevent further transmission, doctors recommend washing their eyes with clean water, applying prescribed eye drops and avoiding touching your eyes with their hands.”
Medical experts have advised patients to wear dark sunglasses to protect their eyes from sunlight and bright light and apply ice compressions to relief.
