Dengue fever claims life in City

LAHORE - A 25-year-old youth tested positive in his clinical reports, died in the ICU Department of the Shaikh Zayed Hospital, a week ago. This was the first death caused by dengue fever reported in the City.
The victim was identified as Ghulam Murtaza - resident of Sheikhupura. It was the second attack of dengue mosquito which caused the death of the youth. Last year, he had also been hospitalised when he was tested positive as dengue patient in the clinical reports. This time the dengue fever even affected his kidneys also.
The Directorate General Health Services, Punjab has so far reported two deaths caused by the dengue fever. The first death of the dengue patient was reported in Rawalpindi while the second in Lahore where Ghulam Murtaza died in Sheikh Zayed Hospital.
The focal person for dengue appointed by the Directorate General Health Services Dr Zia-ul-Rehman said Ghulam Murtaza was the first patient who died in the City due to severe attack of the dengue fever.
In view of the gravity of the issue, a high level meeting of the Punjab Health Department was held here on Monday. The meeting was chaired by Secretary Health Punjab Anwar A Khan. Medical superintendents of the teaching hospitals, EDOs of various districts and other senior health officers participated in the meeting besides the DG Health Punjab.
The meeting was informed that alarming surge in the number of dengue cases has been reported across the province especially in the City. The areas of the city where complaints of dengue fever have been reported in a large number include Shahdara, Ravi Road, Misri Shah, Badami Bagh, Sanda, Chah Miran, Shafiqabad, Makhan Pura and Gulshan-e-Iqbal. The meeting was informed that out of 177 cases reported so far across the province, 144 were from Lahore. The trend was same in 2006 and 2007 where 80 per cent patients belonged to Lahore. No less than a dozen medics and a senior LDA officer were also among the dengue fever patients in the provincial capital.