Severe dengue outbreak kills 11, affects over 2,000 in Pakistan's Punjab province

[News_Editor]

Severe dengue outbreak kills 11, affects over 2,000 in Pakistan's Punjab province

2011-09-09 22:34:06 GMT+7 (ICT)

LAHORE (BNO NEWS) -- An ongoing dengue fever outbreak in Pakistan's eastern province of Punjab has killed at least eleven people so far and affected thousands of people, officials said on Friday.

According to statistics released by the Health Department, the number of dengue patients reported so far is 2,100, including 2,042 in the provincial capital of Lahore. Eleven people have died from dengue, a mosquito-borne viral infection, in Lahore, according to Ary News.

Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has asked hospitals to acquire more platelet kits needed for treatment and called on officials from different departments to increase health measures to fight the virus.

Meanwhile, the failure to get admitted in hospitals is causing extreme anxiety among dengue patients. According to reports, even patients in precarious conditions are unable to get admitted in to the hospitals.

Earlier this week, the Punjab government was accused of criminal negligence for not being transparent about the outbreak. Advocate Noshab A Khan told the Pakistan Tribune that the outbreak has worsened because it has not been properly controlled and the fumigation campaign is of poor quality.

Dengue spreads more often after the rainy season when stagnant water on the streets may activate the breed of mosquitoes, causing dengue fever. Heavy monsoon rains in southeastern Pakistan have so far claimed the lives of at least 169 people and displaced millions of people.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-09-09