Dengue continues to spread in Punjab, 10 new cases reported
A patient suffering from dengue fever sits under a mosquito net inside a dengue and malaria ward at the Sindh Government Services Hospital in Karachi September 21, 2022. PHOTO: REUTERS
Punjab reported 10 new cases of dengue fever in the past 24 hours, according to figures released by the Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department on Monday.
Of the new cases, five were reported in Lahore, four in Rawalpindi, and one in Chakwal.
Health department officials noted that 54 cases have been reported in the last week, bringing the total number of cases in the province this year to 357.
Health authorities have assured that all necessary measures to combat dengue are in place. Government hospitals across Punjab are stocked with the required medicines to treat dengue patients, alongside other essential drugs.
The health department continues to monitor the situation closely and has called for heightened public awareness to prevent further spread of the disease.
The fresh cases have been confirmed at a time when rainwater is presents at various spots in Lahore and other cities. The local administration has also failed to immediately drain water from some dengue hotspots in Lahore and other districts.
According to officials, the district authorities in several areas have not adequately priotised the dengue eradication efforts in recent weeks.
After the recent heavy rains in Lahore and other area, the presence of dengue larva was detected by the surveillance teams, indicating the need for the provincial government to focus on protective measures.
Punjab Chief Mister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has also held meetings with the officials concerned but the anti-dengue activities have not been adequately intensified.
Rainwater could not be immediately drained out from various areas of Lahore and also from the playgrounds of hundreds of educational institutions in the province.