Three people died of the dengue virus in Punjab, the
provincial health
department confirmed Tuesday. The dengue virus deaths were reported from Gujranwala, Faisalabad and Vehari, the Punja
b health
department said. One of the deceased, a 21-year-old woman from Gujranwala, was a resident of Europe. The number of dengue patients in Punj
ab has now risen to 49, the health
department said, adding that the highest number of dengue patient
s in the
province has been reported from Bahawalpur. There are 17 dengue patients in Bahawalpur, nine in Lahore and six in Kasur. Last week, the Punja
b health
department recorded 44 dengue cases, prompting the authorities to start taking emergency measures. In a bid to control the disease, the health
department had directed authorities to make intensive-care units in hospitals operational and hire 10,929 health workers on a contractual basis.
