Lahore - Amid reports that dengue virus may hit the City, like in previous years, Punjab Health Department has directed its blood transfusion cell to keep all cell separator machines in ready form to cope with any emergent situation. These machines separate platelet cells from blood, which are then injected to dengue patients to make up for deficiency of these cells caused by the dengue virus. Currently, three machines are operational at the blood transfusion cell for the purpose and according to doctors they are sufficient to cater to the needs of City hospitals. Directions have also been passed on to the Medical Superintendents of the City main hospitals to make adequate arrangements for treatment of probable patients. Following the reports that fatal virus was likely to spread from the passengers arriving here from Karachi, Pakistan Railways Chief Medical Officer and Chief Health Officer Airport have been asked to take preventive measures against the outspread of dengue virus by spraying insecticides in aircrafts cargo. On the preventive side, the department has launched an aggressive campaign to create awareness among the public about the disease. A large number of posters, leaflets and pamphlets carrying informative material about the disease are being distributed in hospitals and among the general public so that they could take preventive measures against the dengue virus, Director Communicable Disease Control (DCDC), Dr. Mubashir Latif, told The Nation on Tuesday. He said that heads of all hospitals across the province have been asked to display posters and distribute pamphlets in connection with awareness campaign. He said no case of any patient catching dengue virus has so far been reported from any hospital. Talking about the nature of disease, Dr Mubashir said that Dengue virus has an incubation period of 2-7 days; while high fever and pain in joints and behind eyes are the major symptoms. First attack of Dengue is self-control and no vital medication is required. However, Brufen and Aspirin are strictly prohibited if someone is suffering from such symptoms. For them, second attack is more dangerous as red spots appear on different parts of body and bleeding from nose, ear and throat was more likely to happen, he explained. Dengue virus got such hype in Pakistan that even a person suffering from minor fever frightened to carry dengue virus. DCDC said last year when Dengue fever created a lot of commotion in people and hospitals decided to make a separate ward for dengue patients. That step resulted in less people getting affected by this virus and it proved successful in minimising its affects, Dr Mubashir observed. He told that carrier of Dengue virus is a female mosquito, which lay its larvae in stagnant water and garbage heap. If we successfully stamp out these places I think it will contribute a lot towards less dengue cases, he added. Furthermore, he told that September, October and November were more prone in terms of dengue virus due to monsoon rainfall. However, interestingly, dengue fever mosquito cannot survive in high temperature. He said that a door-to-door public awareness teams on Polio Day had also passed on the information regarding dengue fever this year that would further help control this disease.