Govt struggles to tackle dengue caseload

Over 8,500 cases recorded across Punjab in October

LAHORE:

Dengue fever continued to spread in Punjab during the past month, afflicting at least 8,513 people and claiming the lives of nine of them.

The number of fresh cases as well as deaths recorded during October was the highest for a month during the ongoing year.

The anti-dengue campaign of the government in the province is facing challenges due to the increasing number of patients. Official data shows that the Punjab Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department confirmed 8,513 dengue patients brought to government and private hospitals across the province during the month.

The month also proved to be the worst so far during the year for the citizens of Lahore where 3,585 fresh dengue cases were recorded, making the provincial capital the most affected district of Punjab.

The number of fresh patients registered accounts for over half of the total cases recorded in the province since January. In all, at least 14,882 patients of dengue fever have been confirmed in all districts of Punjab during 2022.

Similarly, 6,315 dengue patients were confirmed during the past 10 months in Lahore, of whom 3,585 were registered during October.

The death toll from dengue also rose substantially. The virus claimed at least nine lives in the province during the past month.

The total death toll in the province during the year so far is 18. Of the recorded deaths, 10 took place in Lahore, four in Rawalpindi, three in Gujranwala and one in Gujrat district. “The situation in the hospitals of the province is critical.

At least 1,067 patients are currently undergoing treatment in the dengue wards. The highest number patients is in Lahore’s hospitals where 453 people are under treatment for the fever,” an official of the health department told The Express Tribune.

The disease has spread in almost all districts of Punjab, but residents of Lahore, Gujranwala, Rawalpindi and Faisalabad are at the highest risk with a large number of people suffering from the fever.

The official said November was also likely to be a high risk month for the spread of dengue fever as a severe cold climate was unlikely during the month. He said the season of dengue fever was likely to subside in the last week of December with a substantial drop in temperature.

The official said the people should take safety measure in the coming weeks to protect themselves from dengue fever. Provincial Primary and Secondary Healthcare Secretary Irshad Ahmad said, “Anti-dengue actions are continuing across Punjab.” He said 146 new dengue cases had been confirmed in the province during the past 24 hours