Authorities in Pakistan’s Punjab province announced on Wednesday that all public and private schools will be closed for four days due to an outbreak of conjunctivitis to control the infection, especially in the densely populated city of Lahore.
“I visited the Ravi Road Government Girls High School today and was really surprised. On an average, five to six students in each class are suffering from conjunctivitis,” Punjab interim chief minister Mohsin Naqvi said on his website.
Authorities hope that the temporary closure, which ended on Sunday, will reduce the number of cases by 50% after public hospitals treated nearly 600 infected patients – about 85 infections per day.
After returning from vacation, the authorities will conduct strict health checks on each child. The state health department has asked family members to avoid contact with infected people through clothing, towels and other personal items, The Nation reported.