In the past 24 hours, Punjab has witnessed a worrisome surge in Dengue fever instances, with around 104 newly confirmed cases documented.
The most recent update from the Health Department, dated Wednesday, discloses a remarkable total of 2,925 confirmed dengue occurrences spread across 36 districts in Punjab this year. In this tally, Lahore is at the forefront with 1189 cases, while Rawalpindi, Multan, and Gujranwala have registered 700, 347, and 118 cases correspondingly. Precisely, during the last 24 hours, Lahore reported 41 fresh dengue cases, Rawalpindi 33, Multan 16, Gujranwala 04,Muzaffargarh 2 while Sheikhupura, Narowal, Gujrat, Dera Ghazi Khan, Mandi Bahauddin, Chiniot, Hafizabad, and Layyah each registered one new case. At present, 120 dengue patients were undergoing treatment in various hospitals across Punjab, with 52 of them receiving care within Lahore district hospitals. “Fortunately, there have been no dengue-related fatalities reported in the province this year” said Ali Jaan Khan, the Secretary of Health Punjab. He urged citizens to uphold clean and dry surroundings as a preventive measure against Dengue fever and has called for their cooperation with health department teams. For Dengue-related treatment, information, or complaints, citizens can reach out to the health departments toll-free helpline at 1033. Vigilance and proactive measures were indispensable in curbing the spread of dengue in Punjab.
Moreover, President Pakistan Medical Association Sargodha Dr Sikandar Hayat said that precautionary measures should be adopted as conjunctivitis is a contagious eye disease which was caused and spread due to adenovirus. Talking to media here on Wednesday, he said that the virus was spread through inhalation, shake hands and eye fluids during hot and humid weather. Dr. Sikandar Waraich further said that the symptoms of eye inflammation include fever, sore throat, red and swollen eyes, eye pain, burning, watery eyes and runny nose. He said that the disease could be control by taking precautionary measures such as not touching eyes unnecessarily, washing hands with soap, never sharing personal items and always wear glasses whenever going out.
A total of 534 cases of dengue vector were reported, while 65 cases were got registered so far during dengue larvae inspection drive in the district. This was disclosed in a meeting of District Emergency Response Committee for anti-dengue which was held under the chairmanship of Deputy Commissioner Capt (retd) Shoaib here on Wednesday. Chief Executive Officer Health Authority Dr. Asad Aslam and other members were also present. During the meeting, it was informed that during the current season, the surveillance teams identified and eliminated dengue larvae at 728 locations and 330 legal notices were also issued over violation. The Deputy Commissioner emphasized the importance of taking precautionary measures to prevent the spread of dengue in the city. He directed for better sanitation arrangements in various parts to control dengue and also urged for early removal of stagnant water. The DC also directed the officers concerned to intensify the dengue awareness campaign among citizens.
