There is no respite for the people of Punjab from the dengue fever as four more people lost their lives to the virus in the province during the last 24 hours while 213 more cases were reported, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Friday.

Primary and Secondary Healthcare Punjab Secretary Imran Iskander Baloch has said that out of four fatalities, three were reported from Lahore while one was from Rawalpindi. 

Keeping in view the situation, he said he had ordered speeding up the pace of steps to control the spread of the virus. “The health department teams have already accelerated the pace of eliminating the dengue’s larvae,” he said.

Giving further details, he said that out of 213 fresh cases, 158 were reported from Lahore alone.  “Similarly, 18 cases of dengue were reported from Rawalpindi; nine from Gujranwala; four each from Hafizabad and Sargodha, three each from Kasur and Narowal and two cases each were reported from Attock, Bahawalpur, Okara, Rahim Yar Khan and Faisalabad districts,” he said, and added that 22,937 cases of the virus had come to light from across the province in this dengue season. “Out of these, 16,634  were reported from Lahore alone,” he explained.

The health department secretary went on to add that 109 people had died from the virus in Punjab so far. “Of 1, 484 patients, who are presently admitted at government hospitals across the province, 1, 013 are under treatment at hospitals in Lahore,” he elaborated.

He said that 5, 133 beds had been reserved for the dengue patients at government hospitals in the entire Punjab, and in order to admit more and more patients, the number of beds at the provincial capital’s teaching hospitals were being increased on a daily basis. 

Moreover, he disclosed that out of total 377,484 indoor and 80,869 outdoor spots the health department teams had inspected during the last 24 hours, they managed to eliminate the larvae at 203 of them.

He appealed to the people to take the disease seriously and take measures. “As is the case with coronavirus, we need to protect ourselves from the dengue by taking precautions,” he said, and called upon the Ulema to inform the people of the importance of precautions in order to avoid contracting the disease.  

29 more infections reported from Islamabad:

With the detection of 29 more cases of the virus in Islamabad and its outskirts during the last 24 hours, the total number of dengue cases reported so far now stands at 4, 483.

The district health officer (DHO) told the media that out of 29 fresh cases, 10 were reported from the rural areas surrounding the federal capital. “Hence, total 2, 553 cases have been reported from these areas this dengue season alone,” he said, adding that so far 1, 930 cases had been reported from the city itself.

98 more cases detected in KP:

The situation with respect to dengue fever is not encouraging in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) either as 98 more people tested positive for the virus in the province during the last 24 hours.

KP health department has said that presently 9, 811 people were infected with the virus in the province, while the death rate stands at nine. 

“Out of 98 new cases, 83 were reported from Peshawar alone. Hence, total 5, 151 cases have been reported from the provincial capital so far,” the department disclosed.

Reporters Zahid Chaudhry, Saba Bajair and Azmat Ali Shah