Dengue outbreak: 93 cases reported in Punjab this year

LAHORE: 93 dengue cases have been reported in Punjab so far this year, according to a report by the primary and secondary healthcare department in the province.

In the last 24 hours, three new cases of the vector-borne disease were recorded in Punjab, as per the department which tabulates data. While transmission has been creeping up steadily, no deaths have been reported by the dengue fever this year to date in the province.

Dengue is transmitted by the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, for which irregular rainfalls and tropical climates create ideal breeding ground.

Of the 91 infections of the mosquito-borne fever, majority, 35, have been recorded in Lahore, followed by Rawalpindi, 13, and Faisalabad, 6.

Separately, the capital city Islamabad has recorded 28 confirmed cases.

However, the case load this year is significantly less in comparison to last year. In 2019, in September alone, 3,056 people fell ill by the fever. However, this year in September, only 37 people were sickened.

The primary and secondary healthcare department in a statement said that the year 2019 was “marked with an epidemic of dengue fever” primarily focused in Rawalpindi and Islamabad. However, it adds that the infections have reduced this year due to “a strongly coordinated field response to this unusual public health event.”