As mercury falls, dengue ebbs
Following a decrease in temperature, the dengue outbreak in Punjab is showing signs of slowing down. Thursday's report reported 64 new cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases this year to 14,649 across 36 districts.
Lahore remains the hardest-hit, reporting 6,719 cases, followed by Rawalpindi with 2,643, Gujranwala with 1,555, Multan with 1,404 and Faisalabad with 871 cases. While Lahore reported 31 new cases on Thursday, Rawalpindi 2, Gujranwala 9, Multan 6, Faisalabad 6, and Sheikhupura 3. Other districts like Kasur, Attock, Khanewal, Rahimyar Khan, Khushab, Rajanpur, and Layyah each reported one case in the last 24 hours.
Currently, 48 patients are receiving treatment in Punjab hospitals, with 26 being treated in Lahore. Health Secretary Ali Jaan Khan urged citizens to maintain cleanliness and cooperate with health teams. A helpline (1033) is available for information, complaints or dengue treatment. Vigilance and proactive measures remain crucial to curbing Dengue's spread.
Read: Dengue ebbs at turn of month
The number of reported dengue cases has consistently decreased over the past week. As many as 77 new cases were reported last Saturday, with Health Department data revealing a total of 14,335 confirmed cases across the province this year. Lahore takes the lead in this unfortunate count with a staggering 6,541 cases, followed closely by Rawalpindi with 2,631, Gujranwala with 1,522, Multan with 1,369 and Faisalabad with 847 cases.
Lahore reported an additional 47 new dengue cases, Rawalpindi with 5, Gujranwala with 10, Multan with 4, Faisalabad with 5 and Okara with 2 new cases. Meanwhile, Narowal, Sargodha, Khanewal and Chakwal each reported one case within 24 hours. Currently, 101 patients are undergoing treatment in various hospitals across Punjab, with 55 of them in Lahore district hospitals.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 8th, 2023.