LAHORE: The Punjab Health Department said on Wednesday that the province has recorded 44 dengue cases, prompting the authorities to start taking emergency measures.
The authorities said out of 44 dengue patients, 13 are from Lahore, three each from Gujrat and Vehari, two each from Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, and Kasur, one from Islamabad while seven have travel history from other provinces.
In a bid to control the disease, the health department directed authorities to make Intensive Care Units (ICUs) in hospitals operational and hire 10,929 health workers on a contractual basis.
The Sunday 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 have been reported this year, compared to nine reported across the province by the end of May last year.
In March, the ministry of health had confirmed that the first case of dengue was reported from Fauji Foundation Hospital, Rawalpindi.
Officials from the government department said they had initiated measures to control dengue in a timely manner.
During the month, more than 14,000 homes had been monitored for dengue virus, the health department officials said.
Dengue is transmitted by a type of mosquito, for which irregular rainfalls and tropical climates create ideal breeding ground.
