Geo Health

Death toll from Dengue reaches 30 in Punjab

LAHORE: Dengue continues to grip Punjab and 5,500 cases have been confirmed in the province, Geo News reported. Out of the 30 people who lost their lives in Punjab due to the virus, 26 were from Lahore. Hospitals in the province are flooded as patients with fever fear that they might have Dengue. Emergency has been declared in hospitals but the problem at government hospitals is uncontrollable due to limited resources. Several patients have turned to private hospitals where they are being over-charged for treatment. As the third round of fumigation begins, complaints have been received that teams have not sprayed several areas. Experts who were called from Sri Lanka met Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif. The experts were of the view that there was no short cut to deal with the epidemic but a long-term strategy was required to control the virus. Shahbaz Sharif said that awareness campaigns had been launched to curb Dengue virus, however public cooperation was crucial in this regard. Dengue symptoms include lowered blood platelets accompanied by high fever, body rash and vomiting.