LAHORE - Eight more patients were tested positive for dengue at different hospitals on Friday, taking the number of confirmed cases in the province to 122. Out of eight new patients, five were brought to Lahore Mayo Hospital and one each to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Hameed Latif Hospital and Sheikhupura DHQ Hospital.
The Sindh Dengue Surveillance Cell confirmed that as many as 30 more dengue cases were reported in Karachi, taking the total number to 1080 during this year.
A total of 1143 dengue cases have been reported in Sindh since January 2013, out of them 1080 were detected only in Karachi. However, 11 dengue patients have died in the city during the said duration.
Meanwhile, Additional Assistant Commissioner Babuzai Ashfaq Khan said that the participation of the masses is vital to eradicate and control dengue fever.
He said the district administration has started training sessions for the locals aimed to create awareness among them about the preventive measures of dengue. The AAC also said it was one’s responsibility that one should take care of oneself and as well as of one’s family. He appealed to the people that they should cooperate with the administration in this hard time.
In this regard, a seminar was also held at the University of Swat bearing the title of 'Control and Prevention of Dengue'. Dr Jawad Ahmad and Dr Ayaz Ayoub from Khyber Medical University Peshawar were the speakers on the subject. Executive District Health Officer Dr Abdul Khaliq was also present on the occasion.
The speakers highlighted the importance of people's participation to eradicate dengue. Sharing his research, Dr Jawad said most of the dengue patients are actually affected by Aedes mosquitoes. He said a dengue patient at initial stage could be treated at home while at the later stage, the situation could lead to fatality. He said about 50-100 million people get dengue fever and 24,000 deaths happened around the world every year. Dr Ayaz Ayub highlighted preventive measures. He urged the students to come forward and create awareness about dengue fever.