Islamabad

The beds reserved for coronavirus patients in Punjab's hospitals are being used to treat dengue virus patients, according to a report in The News International. A massive anti-dengue virus campaign has been launched in Islamabad to deal with the alarmingly high rate of cases being reported in the city. Meanwhile, the Punjab government has declared a medical emergency at the public health facilities in Lahore due to the rising number of dengue cases. The decision was made in a meeting chaired by the Punjab Health Minister Yasmeen Rashid, which looked into the challenge of preventing the rapid breeding of mosquitoes in the province and expressed concern over the possible deterioration of the dengue situation in the coming weeks. The provincial health department also instructed all doctors on leave to return to their respective medical facilities to deal with the growing number of dengue cases. "Recent rain spells coupled with humidity and a lot of construction work in some of the top neighbourhoods of Lahore, have provided a breeding ground for dengue that has engulfed much of the city and its adjoining areas," Punjab Health Secretary Imran Sikandar Baloch said. He maintained that the climatic conditions conducive to the spread of the disease were likely to continue until the end of the year.