LAHORE: The Punjab Health Department on Wednesday informed the Lahore High Court that there are 19,595 confirmed patients of dengue virus with 81 deaths so far in the province. An up-to-date report submitted by the department revealed that 501 new cases of dengue have been reported during the last 24 hours in the province including 380 in Lahore.
A total of 2,106 patients have been admitted to hospitals including 1,438 in Lahore. At least 62 are in a critical position. The report claimed that 10,044 hotspots have been checked in the province during the last 24 hours including godowns, plant nurseries, graveyards, schools, workshops, mosques, junkyards and tyre shops.
The report claimed that the total bed occupancy of the Dengue Wards in the public hospitals of Punjab was 2,106 out of a total capacity of 5,523. After going through the report, a division bench headed by Justice Jawad Hassan adjourned the hearing till November 14.
The bench was hearing a petition by a lawyer who questioned the failure of the government to control dengue fever. He said the hospitals have been filled to capacity due to a large number of dengue patients. He argued that the government has failed to take timely measures to eliminate the dengue virus which is now playing havoc with the lives of the citizens.