LAHORE: Punjab remained dengue fever hub as 325 more people were infected taking the overall toll across the country to 548 on Wednesday.
As many as 229 people were infected in Lahore, said Punjab Health Secretary Imran Sikandar Baloch while Punjab health authorities discarded dengue larva from 1,416 places.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as many as 198 people became victims of the dengue taking the tally to 907 in Peshawar including 14 in Haripur, 10 in Mardan, 27 from Kohat. So far four people lost their lives in the province due to dengue.
Health authorities urged citizens to remain vigilant as dengue was infecting more people than before and directed citizens to take appropriate measures to counter the mosquito.
Another 61 citizens were infected with dengue fever in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT). Currently, 1,403 dengue patients were infected in Islamabad and five people lost their lives so far due to dengue. According to Islamabad DHO, 42 cases were reported from rural areas of Islamabad and 19 from urban areas of the federal capital.
The Punjab government had opened a 280-bed dengue field hospital at Expo Centre in the provincial capital to deal with an increasing number of dengue patients on Sunday.
Doctors from General Hospital, Services Hospital, Jinnah Hospital, and Mayo Hospital have been deputed at the field hospital and a duty roster for them has been placed.
Dr Asad Aslam Khan has been made the focal person for the field hospital.
Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid had inaugurated the hospital on Sunday and visited various units to see the arrangements made to deal with dengue patients where Special Secretary Ajmal Bhatti and Consultant Asad Aslam Khan gave her briefing.