Pubjab registers 44 dengue cases

Punjab has registered 44 dengue cases so far, the provincial health department said Wednesday, as  the authorities started taking emergency measures  to control the disease.

The authorities said out of 44 dengue patients, 13 are from Lahore, three each from Gujarat and Vehari, two each from Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, and Kasur, while seven had travel history from other provinces, and one from Islamabad.

In a bid to control the disease, the health department has directed authorities to make Intensive Care Units (ICUs) in hospitals operational and hire 10,929 health workers on a contractual basis.

The Sunday weekly holiday of the health workers working in the anti-dengue campaign has also been cancelled, the health department said.

The health department said 44 cases of dengue had been reported this year, compared to nine reported across the province by the end of May last year.

Dengue is transmitted by the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, for which irregular rainfalls and tropical climates create ideal breeding ground.