Islamabad/Lahore/Peshawar
Dengue fever has killed two people in Islamabad and infected dozens more in the federal capital, Lahore and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Thursday. In Lahore, 126 new cases were reported during the last 24 hours (Wednesday).
Moreover, Dextran 40 Drip which is essential for the treatment of dengue patients in tackling their fever is also not available in the markets.
It is reported that private hospitals have no stock left of Dextran 40 Drip and only public hospitals have the stock. Punjab Government Dengue Expert Advisory Group meeting revealed that there was no stock of Dextran 40 drip.
Health teams inspected 7,130 in-door inspections and 3,893 outdoor inspections to detect dengue larva and discarded larva from 94 places in the metropolis Lahore.
Punjab Health Secretary Imran Sikandar said that 31 new cases of the dengue virus were reported in Lahore taking the tally to 687 confirmed cases this year.
Islamabad District Health Officer said that 14 more people were infected from dengue virus taking the tally to 107 patients in the capital.
Earlier, Islamabad District Health Officer (DHO) held a meeting on monitoring dengue and COVID-19 virus infection.
He said that surveillance of dengue serotype and isolation of the virus was important and health teams were re looking after COVID and Dengue both at the same time.
Former health minister Khawaja Salman Rafique criticized the government for not taking enough steps to combat dengue virus.
He said anti-dengue campaign should have been started din February this year. He claimed that dengue has spread in KP and in Punjab as well and that showed the ineligibly of the incumbent government.
Moreover, Sindh has shifted the Anti-dengue office from Karachi to Hyderabad. Sindh Health Department officials said that 338 dengue cases were reported and four people died in the ongoing month including 51 from Karachi has, 23 each in Korangi and Malir Districts, 37 in South District and 21 in West District. Experts said that dengue mosquito breeding increased after rains.—INP
