Dengue cases are on the rise in Punjab, federal capital Islamabad and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa capital Peshawar as authorities have already declared dengue a nuisance, reported 24NewsHD TV channel. 

Punjab on Thursday reported 223 dengue cases including 167 cases in the provincial capital Lahore, 35 in Rawalpindi, four in Kasur, three in Narowal and two each from Faisalabad and Khushab. Also, single cases were reported each in Sahiwal, Bahawalnagar, Khanewal, Jhang, Rajanpur, Sheikhupura, Attock, Multan, and Sialkot.

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Punjab Health Secretary Imran Sikandar Baloch said that 167 cases of dengue were reported in Lahore. He further informed that 1,659 cases have been reported so far in this year. Currently, 115 dengue patients are being treated at Lahore’s hospitals.  

There are 18 dengue patients in Ganga Ram Hospital, 15 in Jinnah Hospital, 11 in Mayo Hospital, and nine in Doctor’s Hospital. Eight dengue patients were admitted in Services Hospital and Shalimar Hospital each, seven in Gulab Devi and five in Farooq Hospital while four dengue patients are being treated at Ghurki Trust Hospital and University of Lahore Teaching Hospital.

In the last 24 hours (Wednesday), 35 dengue cases were reported from Rawalpindi, four from Kasur and six patients were admitted to Nishtar Hospital, Multan.

In Islamabad, 10 patients were admitted to Quaid-e-Azam Hospital, three patients to Shifa International Hospital and two patients to Policlinic Hospital.

PML-N President and former Punjab chief minister Shehbaz Sharif criticized the government for its poor handling of the dengue epidemic saying that it was very sad to see people in distress. They are just calling for good governance, he added.

Quoting an example from his tenure as chief minister, Shehbaz said after the first outbreak of dengue, a comprehensive document was prepared based on government experiences and developed methods for controlling the epidemic.

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In Peshawar, more than 348 people contracted dengue fever. As many as 38 patients have been admitted to the Hayatabad Medical Complex and Khyber Teaching Hospital. 

Khyber Teaching Hospital administration said that 1,261 tests were conducted. Those who contracted dengue fever belonged to posh areas of Peshawar and adjoining areas including Danishabad, Safaid Dhari, and Sarband.

Moreover, the cooling centre of Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) Islamabad has become a source of spreading dengue fever. The water tank is being leaked and dengue larva is being reproduced in the water. The situation really put the health of hundreds of students at risk.

The AIOU Cooling Tower Operator said he had lodged a complaint regarding water leakage with the authorities. 

 Reporter Azmat Awan