The Punjab government has announced that all public and private schools across the province will remain closed from September 28 to October 1, in a bid to combat the rapid spread of conjunctivitis, or pinkeye.
Conjunctivitis is an inflammatory condition affecting the transparent membrane lining the eyelid and eyeball. Its prevalence surged in Punjab, with state-run hospitals reporting an alarming influx of patients, ranging from 500 to 600 cases.
Lahore, the provincial capital, faced the brunt of this outbreak, recording the highest number of infections.
What’s particularly concerning is that conjunctivitis isn’t discriminating based on age, affecting people of all age groups.
Among the worst-hit are school-going children, many of whom complained of eye infections. This was partly attributed to a lack of adherence to precautions at schools. Additionally, some school administrations had been permitting infected students to stay home, advising parents to take special care of their children.
Medical experts highlighted that pinkeye was spreading rapidly in densely populated urban areas, where people were exposed to less-than-ideal environments, including factories, bazaars, markets, and shopping plazas.
To tackle the growing crisis, the Punjab School Education Department issued a notification mandating a four-day holiday. Schools are expected to reopen on Monday, October 2, with strict adherence to standard operating procedures outlined by the department to mitigate the disease’s spread. Compliance with this order has been urged upon all chief executive officers within the province.
In a separate video message, interim Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi emphasized the necessity of these holidays in curbing the disease’s average spread. He estimated that this temporary closure could result in a 50% reduction in cases. Naqvi also announced planned eye inspections for students when educational institutions reopen.
Caretaker Punjab Minister for Primary and Secondary Healthcare, Dr. Jamal Nasir, assured the public that measures were in place to address the situation. He revealed that eye surgeons in government hospitals throughout the province had been put on high alert. Adequate supplies of eye drops have been distributed to hospitals, with special arrangements made for conjunctivitis patients in major medical facilities, including Rawalpindi’s Holy Family Hospital, Lahore’s Mayo Hospital, and Multan’s Nishtar Hospital.
As Punjab grapples with this pinkeye outbreak, the government’s proactive response aims to safeguard the health of its residents, particularly schoolchildren, and minimize the disease’s impact on communities across the province.