LAHORE: The Punjab health department on Wednesday told the Lahore High Court that there were as many as 19,595 confirmed patients of dengue virus in the province, while it claimed lives of 81 people so far.

A report based on the latest disease data submitted to the court by the department revealed that 501 new cases of dengue had been reported during the last 24 hours in the province, including 380 in Lahore. The number of dengue patients who died in the metropolitan city was 55.

It said that a total of 2,106 dengue patients had been admitted to various hospitals of the province, including 1,438 in Lahore. Of them, at least 62 were in critical condition, it added.

The report claimed that the health officials checked 429,399 houses in the province, including 59,471 in Lahore, dengue larva. Teams also inspected 95,975 outdoor spots in the province, including 8,731 in Lahore.

It said 10,044 hot spots had been checked in the province during the last 24 hours, including godowns, plant nurseries, graveyards, schools, workshops, mosques, junkyards and tyre shops.

The report further claimed that the total bed occupancy in dengue wards in the public hospitals of Punjab was 2,106, out of total capacity of 5,523. The department also furnished pictorial evidence of indoors and outdoors anti-dengue spray in the province.

It stated that dengue awareness campaigns were being run on mainstream and social media. After going through the report, a division bench headed by Justice Jawad Hassan adjourned further hearing till Nov 14.

The bench was hearing a petition by Advocate Azhar Siddique, who questioned the failure of the government to control dengue fever.

He said the hospitals had been filled to capacity due to a large number of dengue patients. He argued that the government had failed to take timely measures to eliminate the dengue virus which was now playing havoc with the lives of the citizens.

Published in Dawn, November 11th, 2021