LAHORE For the first time since the dengue onslaught, people sitting at the upper deck of Punjab have also started succumbing to the virus as the Thursdays seven new victims included an MPA. A Chinese acupuncture specialist also died as the ruthless virus took the death tally to 143. Besides taking the lives of seven, the Dengue virus forced hundreds of people to go to healthcare centres in the City for test, confirming 805 new cases. The confirmed Dengue fever cases in Lahore alone reached 20308 till Thursday. Mumtaz Ahmed Jajja, an MPA from Bahawalpur and Parliamentary Secretary for Education, was on the ventilator at Intensive Care Unit of Jinnah Hospital for the last three days. He breathed his last on Thursday. Zhu Wan Xiang, a Chinese Acupuncturist running clinic in Gulberg for the last over five years, suffered from Dengue fever few days back. He was admitted to Jinnah Hospital where he could not survive. The remaining victims include three women and a seven years old girl. Sobia (27), a resident of Daroghawala, died at Ghurki Hospital, Gulnaz (50) of Amar Sadhu at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Saima (20) of Old Anarkali at Mayo Hospital and Fatima (7) of Tajpura at Services Hospital while Mudassar (28) of Daroghawala lost his life at Lahore General Hospital. Out of 805 new cases, 98 were reported from Mayo Hospital, 71 each from Institute of Public Health and Jinnah Hospital, 65 from Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, 52 from Shaikh Zayed Hospital, 37 from Services Hospital, 32 from Childrens Hospital, 21 from LGH while remaining cases were reported from other public sector hospitals and private healthcare centres in the City. According to the Punjab Health Department, five persons lost their lives due to Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever on Thursday and 331 new cases were reported from across the province. Out of these 279 are from Lahore. So far, 11915 Dengue patients have been reported in Punjab and out of these 10525 are in Lahore. At present 1264 dengue patients are under treatment at different hospital of the province out of which 1096 are in the City. Briefing the newsmen regarding dengue fever at KEMU on Thursday, Secretary Agriculture Arif Nadeem said that the BHUs and dispensaries in Lahore were working as filter clinic for dengue patients and all necessary medical equipment have been provided there. Health DG Dr Aslam Chaudhray said the ecology and larviciding expert of WHO, Dr Raman who reached Lahore the other day, was busy in preparing a long term strategy for elimination of dengue virus.