24 more cases of dengue have been reported in Lahore and admitted at the Mayo hospital. While many others are still under treatment at the General Hospital, Gangaram Hospital and Rawalpindi’s Holy Family Hospital. There are now more than 5,000 cases that have been reported in Punjab.
The virus has also been taking its toll on doctors, nurses, paramedics and other staff engaged in the treatment of dengue fever patients in hospitals, as a number of senior doctors, nurses and paramedical staff is suffering from dengue fever. They observed that the government had failed to eliminate mosquitoes from public teaching hospitals, which were providing breeding ground for the dengue mosquitoes, adding that mosquitoes, after biting the dengue patients, became infected and then transferred the virus into the bodies of healers.
According to details obtained through independent sources from Lahore hospitals, out of nine deaths reported in the city, Dr Rashid Qureshi, 45, died due to dengue fever in a private hospital on Zafar Ali Road, five patients Khalid, 20, resident of Tajpura, Bilal, 50, resident of Green Town, Umar Farooq, 36, resident of Muridke, Azam, 55, resident of Rajgarh and Mujahid, 45, resident of Mardan died in Mayo Hospital, Majeed Bibi, 60, resident of Ghazi Road, died in Services Hospital, Usman Akram, 32, resident of Ichhra, died in Ganga Ram Hospital and a 17-year-old Hasnain, resident of Kahna, died of dengue in Lahore General Hospital Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the health department has also confirmed eight deaths due to Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF) during the last 24 hours. According to Health Department’s report released Wednesday, the total number of dengue patients reported in Punjab from January 2011 to date has reached 14,019, out of which over 12,196 were diagnosed in Lahore alone. As many as 342 new dengue fever cases have been found in Punjab, including 280 fresh cases reported in Lahore during the last 24 hours.
At present 1,531 dengue patients were under treatment in hospitals of Punjab, out of which 1,221 were admitted to Lahore hospitals.