Another nine persons including four women died of dengue virus in the provincial metropolis during the last 24 hours. People of all age groups having complaints of fever are approaching different hospitals for medical tests and treatment. Long queues have been seen at different hospitals raising burden on health facilities.
As many as 468 new dengue cases have been reported in Punjab during the last 24 hours. The total number of cases is 12,379 in the province out of which 10,904 cases are reported in Lahore. As many as 10,585 dengue victims have been cured in Lahore.
A team of Indonesian experts have arrived in Lahore to provide assistance to the health authorities in controlling the disease. Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif has instructed that fumigation must be conducted in private nurseries and co-operative societies. He also said medical students along with teachers should also be included in the dengue eradication campaign.
Moreover, spray is being conducted at union council level apart from raising awareness among public about keeping their environment neat and clean. The PML-N senior leader Mohammad Pervaiz Malik MNA has said that public co-operation is key to eliminate dengue virus and government and masses should join hands together to meet this challenge.
According to him, 200 foggers are fogging in the city, while 150 fogging machines are being imported for the campaign. Due to preventive measures taken by the government and the ongoing awareness campaign, numbers of dengue patients are decreasing in the out door of teaching hospitals. Simple solution to save oneself from dengue is care and prevention.
Member National Assembly and Chairman Emergency Response Committee for dengue Gulberg Town, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq said that people have now quite knowledge about dengue virus but their action to control it was slow. He said that this epidemic can be controlled with united efforts and its 90 percent eradication was possible just because of serious attitude of the citizens.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader appealed the public to avoid throwing water from the houses to streets and not to store un-necessary items at roofs and lawns, as these were the ideal places for breeding of dengue mosquitoes. Replying to a question, he said that elected members under the leadership of Chief Minister Punjab Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif were in the field and working day and night in order to eradicate the dengue virus. He further said that the new municipal system of Punjab would be a foolproof, which would also fulfil the public sentiments in true sense.