Amraiz Khan
The Dengue onslaught refused to stop in the provincial metropolis amid combative measures scaled up by the Health Department and 126 new cases of the virus have been reported in the City during the past 24 hours.
The new cases took the Dengue toll in the City to 2,013 so far in the current year, said the Punjab Primary and Secondary Health Department on Tuesday.
Overall 165 confirmed Dengue cases have been recorded across the Punjab province, taking the total number of Dengue cases to 2,587 during the ongoing year so far.
Punjab Primary and Secondary Healthcare Secretary Imran Sikander Baloch revealed that Lahore has seen a sharp rise in Dengue cases during September.
He said that the total number of dengue cases in the City has cross 2,000 mark. “Defence reported the highest number of 946 cases in the City and currently, more than 200 people have been undergoing treatment in various hospitals across Lahore.”
The secretary pointed out that over 17,000 dengue hotspots have been identified across the City. “Five areas, where dengue larvae were found, have been sealed, while notices have been issued to more than 45,000 people”, he added.
Imran Sikander claimed that 82 people have been arrested and cases against 1,400 people have been registered.
The health department informed that during the past 24 hours, 126 patients were reported from Lahore, 24 from Rawalpindi, 4 dengue cases were reported from Gujrat, two each from Attock, Faisalabad, Nankana Sahib and Sialkot, while 1 case respectively has been reported from Sheikhupura, Dera Ghazi Khan and Rahim Yar Khan.
The officials informed that presently, a total of 319 patients have been admitted to hospitals across Punjab out of which 170 Dengue patients are admitted in the hospitals in Lahore.
As many 33 patients of dengue are undergoing treatment in Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, 30 in Jinnah Hospital, 15 in Farooq Hospital, 10 each in Services Hospital and Shalimar Hospital, 8 each in General Hospital, Doctors Hospital, Gulab Devi Hospital, Hameed Latif Hospital and University of Lahore Teaching Hospital, 6 in Fatima Memorial Hospital, 5 each in Children Hospital and Ghurki Trust Hospital, 3 each in Mayo Hospital, Nawaz Sharif Hospital Yakki Gate and Ever Care Hospital, 2 each in Ittifaq Hospital and Saira Memorial Hospital whereas 1 each patient is admitted to Hayyat Memorial Hospital, Life Line Hospital and Mansoora Hospital respectively.
In the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, 113 and 24 new dengue cases were reported.
Earlier, on October 1, the Pakistan Meteorological Department warned of a dengue outbreak in eight big cities of the country from October 10 to November 20.
These included Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Hyderabad, Faisalabad, and Multan.
According to experts, the active period for dengue attacks is two hours after sunrise and two hours before sunset. The breeding stops once the temperature falls below 16 degrees Celsius.
According to the WHO experts, symptoms of dengue, usually last between two to seven days, include severe headache; pain behind the eyes; muscle and joint pains; nausea; vomiting; swollen glands and rash.
There is no specific treatment for dengue fever. Fever reducers and pain killers can be taken to control the symptoms of muscle ache and pain, and fever.
